Consolidated
by Dzem
Summary: Edward Elric has been in the military for a year. The tough thirteen year old tries to convince the adults around him that he is not a kid anymore. But, with all the trouble he's always in, will he ever be able to convince them? Ed/PA Hughes Ed/PA Havoc
1. Chapter 1

Hello!! This is my very first fanfic ever and hopefully won't be my last! If I get a few reviews saying whether this is any good or not, I will add another chapter. If it sucks then well, I'll try again! Also I am aware of the OOCness...sorry about that. This being my first fanfic ever, it's going to take be a bit of time to be able to get everyone into proper character. Enjoy.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters. *sniff*_

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_**Chapter 1.**

Edward Elric was sitting on a green bench at the train station. He had just come back from a mission and was hoping it would stop raining so he could get to the military dorms without becoming soaked. It didn't seem to want to lighten up at all and he sighed knowing that he was going to end up having to walk through the damned rain. Ed stood up and pulled his signature red jacket tighter around him and picked up his travel suitcase.

"_Sure as hell would have been nice if someone had come to pick me up." _Ed thought to himself glumly. Although he would never actually admit it; he enjoyed it when someone would meet him at the train station. Especially Hughes or Havoc. Right now though, he wouldn't mind even the Colonel if it meant not having to walk through the rain. He sighed internally and realized they were all probably asleep since it was well pass midnight and his train wasn't actually supposed to come in until five that morning. But, the damned thing got to Central early.

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Edward had been walking for a good ten minutes and was completely soaked through when he realized two men were following him. _"Damn! I really don't feel like fighting right now!"_ Ed thought while silently speeding up a little. The two men behind began to speed up too and Ed knew that he was going to have to confront them. He turned around to face them, legs spread and hands squeezed into fists.

"What the hell do you two want." Ed demanded more than asked.

The two men grinned at Ed and then looked at each other. One of them two men was tall and built. His hair was long, black, and matted around his face from the rain. Ed realized he was only wearing a pair of black jeans. The other man was short but even more built than the tall one. He had short brown hair and a small brown beard. The shirt he was wearing looked like it was much too small for him and his blue jeans had holes and rips everywhere. Ed began getting a bad feeling in his gut from these two guys that told him to run. But his damned pride was telling him to stay and kick their asses if they tried anything. So he stayed and waited for their answer. Edward was about to yell at them, when the tall one spoke up.

"We were jus' wondering why a little kid was walking around all alone out here at night?" The tall man asked.

"Well that's just none of your damned business now is it! And damn you I AM NOT LITTLE! So piss off before you make me angrier." Ed said fuming at being called a little kid. He took a step back and was about to walk off when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He twirled around to hit whichever man had touched him, but to his surprise was too slow and hit in the face instead. Ed fell back and clutched his now bleeding nose.

"Kids shouldn't speak to adults like that. I think we need to teach you a lesson." The short man explained and grabbed Ed by the front of his shirt and dragged him into an ally. Ed elbowed the man in the gut and was about to clap his hands when the tall man grabbed his auto-mail arm and twisted it behind his back. Edward struggled to free his arm, but it seemed hopeless. The man managed to get end onto the ground and put his knee on Ed's back so Ed couldn't move around.

"Now, now struggling is only going to do more harm to yourself." The short man said getting off the ground, but still clutching his stomach.

"GO TO HELL!" Ed yelled still trying to struggle out of the taller man's grip. The short man came over and kicked end in the side. Ed gasped from the pain that shot through his side, but continued to struggle, kicking at any part of the man on top of him that he could reach.

"Let's do this before someone hears. Get his belt off." The tall man ordered the shorter man. Ed's eyes widened when he realized what these men planned on doing.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME YOU SICK BASTARDS GET OFF ME NOW!" Ed screamed at the top of his lungs and kicking widely. Ed hoped that someone would hear him, anyone. The tall man turned Ed onto his back and Ed took the opportunity to knee the man between his legs. The man yelped out in pain and Ed pulled away from his grasp and tried to run away. To his dismay the short man grabbed him by his hair braid and pulled him backwards. Once Ed fell back onto his back the Tall man grabbed his legs while the short man used a belt to secure Ed's hands above his head.

"NO NO GET THE HELL OFF ME! SOMEONE HELP! HELP! GET THE HELL OFF!" Ed yelled kicking with all his might. He gasped when he felt a hand touch a place where no hand other than his own should ever be. He yelled again once he felt his pants being tugged down.

"Can't you gag him with something damn it! Someone is going to hear him!" The tall man complained.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The short man yelled and punched Edward in the face. In return Ed spit blood at the man's face. The short man cursed and was about to hit Ed again when Ed heard footsteps.

"GET OFF! GET OFF! SOMEONE HELP" Ed yelled again in hopes that whoever was near by would hear. Ed couldn't help by sigh in relief when he heard someone running towards the ally.

"Shit! Let's go." The short man said in a hurry getting off of Ed.

"What the fuck!" Ed heard his savior yell. Both men let go of Ed and as soon as they did Ed sat up and scooted himself away from the men and to whoever it was who managed to hear him. Ed gasped when he looked up and saw the last person he would have expected.

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"Havoc!" Ed said in surprise. He had never seen Havoc look to angry before. Ed was certain that if an egg was placed on the man's face at the moment that it would cook. Before Ed could say anything else to Havoc, he ran at the two men yelling in fury. The tall man began running off, but Havoc grabbed the short one before he could also escape.

Havoc was pissed. No beyond pissed. He wasn't sure there was a word to describe what he felt right now. What he did know that he was going to continue to bash this man's face in until he was no longer recognizable. Havoc couldn't believe that it would be Edward yelling out. He was simply on his way to the store to buy some beer when he heard someone yelling. Seeing those men on top of Ed with Ed's pants down sent a fury through his body that he never felt before. He lost count on how many times he hit the man now. All he knew is that it was not enough. It would never be enough until the man was no longer breathing. It took Havoc a minute to realize someone was yelling his name, then he stopped when he realized it was Ed. He looked over at the small thirteen year old and realized what he was doing.

"Shit." Havoc whispered and checked the short man's pulse. It wasn't strong but it was still there. He sighed when he realized he was about to kill the man. He slowly stood up and walked over to the small blond boy.

"Sorry, chief. I let my anger get the best of me." The normally laid-back man explained while removing the belt from Ed's hands. Edward rubbed his wrists trying to get the feeling back in them, then with Havocs help stood and pulled his pant's back on. Both men were silent for a few minutes staring at nothing in particular.

"You okay, chief?" Havoc asked quietly. Ed nodded but stared at the ground. Ed was worried that if he looked the man in the face, he wouldn't be able to keep his emotions in check. Ed jumped when Havoc put his hand on ends shoulder.

"Come on. You're freezing." Havoc said simply while picking up Ed's suitcase leading him out of the ally. Ed glanced back at the man that was on the ground unconscious. He wanted to ask Havoc what was going to happen to him, but thought better of it.

"Where are we going?" Ed asked once he realized they were heading in the opposite direction of the HQ where the military dorms were.

"Back to my place. I don't want you alone. Unless you want to head to Hughes place. You stay there sometimes right?" Havoc asked. Ed didn't reply at first. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go to Hughes or not. A part of him wanted the fatherly man's comfort, while another part of him was worried about Havoc. He did not want Havoc to go back and finish what he started. Ed shivered at the idea of Havoc killing the man. Ed was pissed off at the two men that attacked him, but he didn't want someone to kill them, especially not Havoc.

Havoc seemed to sense the battle inside Ed's head. He sighed and looked down at the boy.

"I won't go back, boss." Havoc said quietly. After a few minutes Ed spoke.

"Promise?" Ed asked looking in the man's eyes.

"Promise." Havoc replied sincerely.

"Can…can I go to Hughes than?" Ed asked, unsure if it would upset Havoc. If it did upset the man he didn't let it show and simply nodded.

Both walked in silence for the next twenty minutes. The silence was broken when Havoc finally spoke.

"What the hell were you thinking? In fact, why are you even in central! Your train wasn't supposed to come until five damn it. I was the one who was going to be picking you up. And where the hell is Al? Why the hell were you alone, in Central, at midnight!" Havoc ranted trying to keep in control of his temper. Ed was a little shocked from the sudden outburst but replied almost automatically, not wanting to make the man any more angry than necessary.

"I…I thought I could take them! I'm not helpless you know." Before Havoc had a chance to respond to that Edward continued. "My train came in early and I figured everyone was asleep so I was heading to the dorms. And Al, he's visiting Winry right now because the mission I came back from was too dangerous for him to go on." Ed explained trying to defend himself. Havoc just sighed. Ed was too hard-headed to accept his stupid mistake. Havoc was actually concerned at how well Ed seemed to be taking things. He shrugged it off glad that Ed was doing so well.

"You're not going to tell Al, are you?" Ed whispered with his face down. Havoc stared ahead of him for a bit before answering.

"No. Al doesn't need to know the kind of evil in this world." The man explained while lighting a cigarette now that it stopped raining. Ed just nodded.

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After another few minutes of walking they ended up at Hughes front door. Havoc knocked and waited several minutes before knocking again. Ed looked at his watch. Nearly two in the morning. He was tired and freezing all he wanted was a warm shower and to sleep. Havoc knocked again and this time they heard a noise from the other side of the door. The door opened slowly and a sleepy looking Hughes poked his head out.

"Sorry Hughes, I know it's late, but Ed here ran into some trouble and I don't want to leave him alone tonight." Havoc explained at the grumpy looking Hughes. Hughes stepped back and opened the door the rest of the way and motioned for Havoc and Ed to come inside. Both men and Ed walked over to the living room and sat down.

"Up Ed. You're going to get the sofa dirty. Go take a shower, you know where everything is." Hughes told Edward. Ed simply nodded and picked up his suitcase and headed up the stairs. Hughes turned back to Havoc. "Explain." Hughes said to Havoc sighing.

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Edward was in the guest room he stayed in whenever he stayed with the Hughes. He pulled on a long sleeved black shirt that was too big for him and pulled on a pair of blue boxers. He sat down on the bed and began drying his long blond hair. He knew when Hughes sent him away he had Havoc explain why they were there. Ed wasn't sure why, but he felt uncomfortable knowing that the man he thought of as a father knew about what happened.

Ed heard the front door open then close. He knew Hughes was going to come up here now and Ed wasn't sure he could face the man. For the first time since the incident, Ed felt panicked. He started breathing in and out slowly trying to calm himself before Hughes came into the room. Ed heard footsteps nearing the door and the door slowly opened. Edward continued breathing slowly, although it was failing at keeping the panic away.

Edward continued to stare at the floor not daring to look the man in the face. He felt the bed shift and knew Hughes was sitting next to him. Without warning Hughes pulled Ed into a tight hug. Ed was startled by this act of comfort. No one had ever held him this way, not since his mother passed away.

"Um…Mr. Hughes? Wh…what are you doing?" Ed asked uncertainly. This definitely wasn't how he expected the man to react to what happened. Ed waited for a reply but Hughes simply hugged Ed tighter and didn't reply. After a while Ed could feel himself melting into the hug. His mind was yelling at him to pull away but his body was telling him that he desperately needed the comforting. Ed felt something wet on his face and for a second thought Hughes was trying but was rather stunned when the tears were coming from his own eyes. "_Edward Elric does NOT cry!_" Ed thought to himself, but it seemed pointless to fight them. His body was no longer listening to his brains commands. He sighed and gave up and buried his head further into Hughes chest.

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Hughes sat cradling the small blond. He expected Ed to pull away from him at first, especially feeling how tense he was when Hughes began hugging the boy. After a while though, Ed seemed to relax to his amazement and then to his even greater amazement, the boy began to cry. Hughes did not expect it, but he did know how to comfort the child. When Havoc explained what had happened, Hughes had the overpowering urge to run up the stairs and strangle Ed for being so stupid. But once Havoc left and Hughes saw Edward looking small and scared sitting on the bed, the only thing that Hughes could think about is 'what if'. What if Havoc had not been on his way to the store. What if those men hadn't taken there sweet time. What if they had done what their sick bastard minds were planning on.

Hughes let out a silent sigh and rested his chin on the shaking boy. Havoc had said Ed didn't seem shaken up about the incident and Hughes knew that the shock hadn't worn off until now. Ed was just a little kid no matter what Ed thought. A little kid who had to grow up much too fast. Hughes liked Ed the moment they met on the train; when Ed was going to take his test to become a State Alchemist. He couldn't help feeling fatherly to the orphaned boy.

Ed had stopped shaking and was hiccuping quietly. Hughes smiled at the sound, Ed could be extremely cute when he wasn't being a pain in the ass. He slowly pulled Ed out of his embrace to look the boy in the face. Edward's eyes were red and puffy but seemed much more relaxed now. Hughes wiped away the tears still on the boys face with his sleeve and smiled softly.

"Feel better?" Hughes asked softly. Ed nodded and began playing with an imaginary string on his pajama shirt. His cheeks turning a bright red from embarrassment. He couldn't believe he just cried in the man's arms! Ed felt a hand on his chin and his faced was pulled to look straight at Hughes.

"Do you understand what you did was irresponsible and stupid, Edward?" Hughes asked sternly. Hughes was rarely a disciplining type of man. He was always cheery with a large goofy grin plastered on his face. But right now, his face was stern and completely serious and it made Ed cringed.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry." Ed said quietly. Hughes smiled at Ed and both were silent for a while. Ed staring off towards the wall and Hughes studying the boy. Hughes suddenly clapped his hands together, which made Edward jump a little. Hughes chuckled softly and Edward glared at the man.

"Are you hungry?" Hughes asked casually. Ed shook his head and instead asked for some water. Hughes merely nodded, stood up, and left the room.

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Ed stared after him a bit before laying back on the bed. "_What a strange night."_ Ed thought to himself. His mind then wondered to Al. He had never been away from his brother for so long and he was missing him an awful lot. Ed knew though that it was for the best that Al stay back in their hometown with Winry. At least until a specific Colonel Archer quit snooping around. A few weeks before Edwards latest mission Archer started becoming suspicious of the two brothers. He had told Alphonse that he wanted him to come out of the Armor that his soul was bound too. It had been a close call, with Archer ready to pull the helmet off. Mustang had, luckily, been walking by at the time and ordered the two brothers to go and take some paper work to Hawkeye.

After that though, Archer knew that Mustang and the brothers were indeed hiding something. Archer had confronted Edward later that day and threatened him. He explained that he would figure out what Mustang and he were hiding and once he did, expose them all. Edward, of course, played dumb telling Archer he had no idea what he was talking about. Shortly after the encounter Ed was sent on a mission. That was the perfect excuse to drop Al off with Winry, and decided if anyone asked, Ed would simply say that the mission was far to dangerous for his younger brother to accompany him on. It took a long time to convince Al that Ed would be fine on his own, in the end Edward had to demand Al to stay behind because he wasn't going to have anyone haul Al off to be experimented on. Al gave in and Ed set off. That had been a week ago. Edward sighed. A whole week away from his brother and he still was not sure when he could allow Al to return. He was sure Archer was still poking around trying to figure out what was going on.

Edward was so deep in thought that he never noticed Hughes enter the room and sit down on the bed. When he finally did notice the man, Ed thought his heart had ripped through his chest.

"SHIT! Mr. Hughes are you TRYING to give me a heart attack!?" Ed asked trying to breathe normal again.

"Shh…You're going to wake up my little Elysia, then I'll be mad because my little princess needs her sleep. While we're talking about Elysia, have I shown you the most recent pictures of her? I have one where she's petting this dog. She's just sooo adorable!" Hughes gushed about his daughter. Ed sighed and fell back onto the bed. Hughes chuckled and stood up.

"You should probably get some sleep then. I'm sure your exhausted and you will need your rest before seeing Mustang tomorrow morning." Hughes said with a large grin on his face which only got wider when Ed's mouth opened in surprise.

"You! You told Mustang! Noooooo!" Ed whined. "I'm never ever going to hear the end of this. Ergh damn it!" Ed glared at the man in glasses who was grinning at him.

"Yes I told him Edward, he has a right to know. He cares about you and you deserve to be lectured over and over. What you did Edward. What could have happened…" Hughes stopped to collect himself. "You could have been seriously hurt Edward, also watch your language. No swearing here. Understood? I don't want Elysia picking up any of those words." Hughes looked down at the glaring boy.

"Yes, sir" Ed said slowly. This night was only getting worse by the minute and he was not liking it one bit.

"Good then. Goodnight. You will be waking up early and going to work with me. I'll drop you off with Mustang where he will decide a good punishment for you." Hughes explained in a tone that meant he was not expecting any arguing. With that he left the room closing the door behind him.

Edward lied back on top of the covers. He guzzled his water then rolled onto his side and was asleep within minutes.

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Well there's chapter one! What did you think? Reviews will be nice even if they are flames. Let me know if it's worth continuing.

Ed: ...I thought it sucked.

Me: *sniff*


	2. Chapter 2

**I was really impressed with the reviews I got and so many people added this to story alerts! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter! But, because it's so short I will have another chapter up by either the end of the day or tomorrow. Also I worked on my Grammar and Spelling errors! Yay! Thanks to **Pajaro Negro **for pointing it out for me.**** Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Mkay.  
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**Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer_:_ I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters._

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**Chapter 2.**

Edward was sitting in Hughes car at six-thirty in the morning. His arms were crossed and face plastered with a large frown. To Ed's great dislike, Hughes had kept his promise of waking Ed up early. Three hours after Ed fell asleep to be exact. Edward's mood went from bad to worse in a matter of minutes after he woke up. At breakfast, Hughes wouldn't shut up about how cute Elysia was when she ate. Ed honestly felt sorry for the poor girl. She couldn't breathe without the man gushing about her! Now he sat in the car with Hughes on the way to HQ. Ed was not looking forward to facing the Colonel Bastard.

Edward gave a dramatic sigh and sloped down in his seat. Hughes chuckled and Ed glared daggers at him.

"Come on Ed. It isn't going to be that bad. You have to face the consequences of your mistakes. You are always asking to be treated like an adult. A part of being an adult is admitting that there will always be consequences to everything you do." Hughes lectured with a smile on his face.

"Fine, then you can face the 'consequences' of what happens the next time you shove one of your damned pictures in my face!" Ed said smugly.

Hughes gasped. "Edward! How can you possibly think of harming those precious pictures? Elysia is just so cute!" Hughes gushed. Ed sighed again, it was impossible to argue with the man when it came to Elysia.

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The rest of the ride was traveled in silence. Once they reached HQ, Hughes took Ed to Mustangs office. Ed groaned loudly.

"Do I really need to go in there." Ed whined and looked up at Hughes. Hughes grinned and nodded. Ed sighed and walked into the office. Hughes closed the door once Ed stepped in and walked off too his own office chuckling.

As soon as Ed walked into the office everyone looked up. Breda grinned at him with his mouth full of a donut, Fuery looked up through his large glasses and gave a weak smile and waved, Farman patted Ed on the back, Havoc grinned with a cigarette in his mouth, and Hawkeye pulled out her gun. Ed froze when the gun was in his face.

"Edward Elric if I ever hear that you do something as stupid as what you did last night again I will shoot you! Do I make myself clear?" Hawkeye demanded calmly but deadly. But before Ed had a chance to say anything Hawkeye shot a bullet that flew past Ed's head as a warning that she was completely serious. Ed yelped and ran for the door that led to Mustangs private office.

Edward quickly shut the door behind him just as he heard another shot being fired.

"She's crazy! Someone should take her gun away! Isn't there some kind of law that says you can't be gun-happy like that?" Ed said angrily.

Mustang smirked. "I would appreciate it if you did not insult Hawkeye, Fullmetal." Mustang said seriously even though he completely agreed with Edward.

Ed huffed and walked over to the red sofa on the other side of the office. He plopped down and looked around the office. It was a rather dull place. The walls were an ugly brown color and the carpeting was boring tan color. The only furniture in the room was the red sofa he was currently occupying, a small brown coffee table that had round stains on it, Mustangs large red-brown wooden desk, and a couple of chairs. On the walls hung a couple large portraits. One portrait that hung behind Mustangs desk and was a photo of Mustang and his subordinates. Originally the only occupants in the photo were Mustang, Hughes, Havoc, Hawkeye, Fuery, Farman, and Breda. Once Edward had joined the crew, Hughes demanded a new photo to be taken that included Ed and Al. Ed liked the portrait for the most part, even though he was forced to smile in it. The other portrait in the office was a picture of a boat fighting against a fierce storm. Water was pushing up against the boat trying to bring it under. Ed thought from the look of it that eventually the small boat would beat the large storm.

"Well Fullmetal, I'm sure you know why you're here." Mustang stated flatly. Ed was pulled away from his thoughts and glared at Mustang.

"Yes, Colonel Bastard, I am well-aware of why I am here. So, if you would please get on with it so I can get away from your ugly face quickly." Ed replied harshly. Mustang returned a glare then placed a smirk over his handsome face.

"Okay, Fullmetal. What made you think a SMALL child like you should be outside, in Central, at night?" Mustang asked bracing himself for what was to come.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT AN ANT WOULD BE ABLE TO CRUSH HIM!" Ed screamed. Mustang, amused, chuckled. After a minute of enjoying the fuming older Elric, he became completely serious.

"Seriously though, Fullmetal. For a child prodigy you can be incredibly idiotic." Mustang said in a matter of fact tone. Ed sighed this was the second time he was hearing this lecture.

"Okay! I get it you guys are worried. But, are you forgetting that I get sent on mission that are far more dangerous than walking around Central at night? I've had people trying to kill me, I've been stabbed, and I've been shot at. Why is it such a big deal now? I've been in far worse situations than this and I've made it out alive. I let my guard down and that was the only reason they managed to get me down. It won't happen again. Can I go now?" Edward said impatiently. All this worrying and lecturing was starting to piss him off. He didn't understand why he was allowed to go on dangerous mission, but gets in trouble for walking to his dorms. He was especially tired of being treated like a child. He was thirteen damn it and he was the Fullmetal Alchemist! Edward wanted some respect.

Mustang stared at Edward for a long while before speaking again. "Yes, Fullmetal. I understand that you are put in dangerous situations on a regular basis. That is entirely my fault because I tend to forget you are only a little child." Mustang smirked, ignored the glare he was getting, and continued choosing his words carefully. "It has now been brought to my attention that you are careless and irresponsible. So, I have decided, until further notice that I am suspending you from leaving Central for two weeks."

"WHAT! Bu-" Mustang cut Ed off.

"I am not finished yet. During those two weeks, if you can prove to me that you are, in fact, mature enough to continue these missions, then I will once again allow you to go on them. But, during those missions you will be accompanied by someone of my choice for two months. They will report back to me after every mission. If I see that your irrational behavior has improved, I will once again allow you your freedom. Am I understood?" Mustang asked.

Edwards face was tomato red. This was insane and completely impractical! "No way! Al is always with me on my mission. Why the hell do I need someone else!?" Edward complained.

"Because Fullmetal, you do not listen to your brother. Which reminds me, until further notice I would like Al to stay away from Central, but he may go on missions with you. We need to keep him on low profile. Archer has already questioned me where you and your brother have been. I told him that Al was sick and staying with a friend while recovering. We will keep it that way. Archer won't keep up his prying much longer. I'm positive by the end of the two weeks, it will be safe for Al to return. " Mustang explained leaning back on his chair.

Ed sighed. He absolutely hated it when Mustang was right. "What am I supposed to do for two weeks without, Al?" Ed huffed. Mustang gave his signature smirk.

"Why, entertain Elysia of course. Since you will be staying with Hughes." Mustang laughed when he saw the expression on Ed's face.

"Wha…n-no! NO WAY! You expect me to stay at Hughes house for TWO WEEKS? The longest I've been able to last is three days! Why can't I stay in my dorm?!" Edward yelled in fury. There was no way he could last two weeks with the man constantly on his back. This was pure torture, sure he liked the guy a lot, but two weeks! Ed growled.

"I do expect you to and remember Fullmetal, behave yourself. You keep telling us to treat you like an adult. Here's your chance, begin acting like one and earn your respect. You are dismissed." Mustang said through his smirk.

Ed growled again. He would play Mustang's stupid game. But before he began the game he would have one last bit of fun.

Ed smirked, shadowing the one on the Colonel's face. "Fine. But before I go…" Ed trialed off breathing in deeply. "YOU ARE THE BIGGEST BASTARD IN THE WORLD. YOU CAN SHOVE THAT UGLY SMIRK UP YOUR UGLY ASS! YOU STUPID JERK!" Ed screamed as loud as possible and stomped out of the room, broke down the door, and headed for Hughes office with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Very mature, Fullmetal." Mustang sighed. His subordinates stuck their heads through the now open doorway.

"Guess it didn't go to well, Colonel?" Havoc asked grinning sheepishly. Mustang glared at his men and began putting on his glove. They immediately went back to work, snickering quietly amongst themselves. Hawkeye walked in a minute later caring a stack of papers that were as tall as two large books. Mustang sighed and began working as Hawkeye exited the room.

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**There's another chapter down. If anyone has any ideas feel free to tell them to me! Reviews and flames welcome =)**

**By the way, has anyone listened to the new LP song?? Amazing!  
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	3. Chapter 3

**I did not care for this chapter much. I re wrote it three times! I finally gave up and stuck with this. Anyway I'll let you all be the judge of whether it is good or not.  
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**Misty-Nala: To answer your question, this story is mostly going to be a Hughes and Ed Parental. But, there will be times where it focuses on a Havoc and Ed's relationship which will be a bit brotherly.  
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**Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer_: _I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters._

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_**Chapter 3.**

Ed was sitting in a chair that was seated outside Hughes's office. He decided that if he was going to have to live with the man for two weeks, then there would have to be some rules. Ed had barged into the office, but Hughes sent him out right away and told him to wait until he was finished working. So Ed slumped over to the hard brown chair and waited. Ed had been waiting for two hours, bored out of his mind, until Hughes finally stepped out of his office.

"About time! I've been waiting for hours." Ed said grumpily rising from the chair. He rubbed at his numb behind pouting.

"Sorry, Ed. I was working on a case that is really important. How about we go down to the mess hall and talk there?" Hughes asked chuckling at the grumpy teen. Ed nodded and led the way.

Once they reached the mess hall, Hughes left to get drinks for them. Ed sat down at one of the tables and began making circles on the table with his auto-mail fingers. Someone sat down across from him and he looked up expecting Hughes. Instead, there sat the last man he wanted to see at the time.

"Fullmetal." Archer said coolly. Ed frowned at him and nodded, and continued drawing his circles.

"Where is your brother? You two are never apart. It is rather odd how he seems to have disappeared once I began to confront you about my suspicions." Archer said innocently.

"He's sick." Ed replied dully. He was in no mood to entertain the moron or argue with him. He looked around the area hoping Hughes was on his way back.

"Ah, I see. If he is sick, then should his brother not be with him caring for him?" Archer asked suspiciously and interrupting Ed in his search. Edward frowned this guy was persistent and in Ed's opinion needed a kick in the rear.

"I am in the army if you have forgotten. It's a little hard to get away sometimes. None of this is really any of you business anyway, is it?" Ed asked snidely. Before Archer could respond, Hughes came to the rescue.

"Colonel Archer." Hughes said saluting to the man. Archer stood and saluted back then stomped off, angry that he was interrupted. Hughes handed Ed a drink and sat down where Archer had been sitting.

"Still being a pest I see." Hughes said about Archer. Ed nodded then stared Hughes straight in the face.

"Let's get down to business." Ed said professionally, "If I am going to have to live with you, then there are going to be rules." Ed stopped and waited to see if Hughes was going to interrupt. Once Ed was certain he had nothing to say, he continued. "Rule number one is no bed time. I go to bed when I feel like it. Rule number two is no constant gushing about Elysia." Hughes frowned but motioned for Ed to continue. "Rule number three is absolutely NO prying in anything I do. What I do outside of work is my own business. Rule number four is I get to go to the library alone." Ed finished and crossed his arms. He knew he was being childish, but he didn't want all his freedom taken away.

Hughes stared at Ed for a bit. It was rather amusing seeing Ed trying to make the rules. Hughes laughed out loud and made Ed frown.

"I have a rule too." Hughes added slowly.

"That is?" Ed asked eying Hughes critically. He didn't like the grin on Hughes face. The man was up to something.

"The only person allowed to make rules is me." Hughes stated. Ed's mouth dropped.

"What!? No way! That's not fair. If you don't listen to my rules, then I am not staying with you!" Ed said hotly.

"Sorry Ed, but I'm making the rules around here. I expect you to be in bed the same time I go to bed. That time usually varies from nine to ten. I'll agree about Elysia, though. I won't pry on everything, but I will need to know where you are at all times and I will set the time of when I want you to return. Also, I expect someone to be with you, no matter where it is you go. That includes the library." Hughes finished. Ed stared at him dumbfound. He kept opening and closing his mouth trying to find the words to argue back. This was a nightmare.

"You're not my father. You have no legal rights over me. I don't have to listen to you." Ed finally replied childishly. Hughes laughed, which only added to Ed's anger. Ed didn't see the humor in any of this.

"You're right, I have no rights over you. But, if you want to continue searching for the stone and going on your missions, you have to suck it up. It won't be that bad, Ed. You will get used to someone else caring for you for a change. Al has you, and now you have me." Hughes said happily. Ed groaned and rested his head on the table. He wondered if it was possible to die of annoyance. Hughes patted Ed's backs reassuringly, but pulled his hand away immediately when Ed growled.

----

The rest of the day passed by slowly. Hughes sent Edward back to Mustangs office, where Edward forced Fuery to accompany him to the library. He spent the rest of the day there re-reading books about the Philosophers Stone, hoping that maybe he missed something. The idea of not being able to search for the stone that would get his brother's original body back was grinding at Ed's nerves. Every time he thought of Al, he missed him more and more. He would definitely have to call him tonight to catch up with him, finally at six Hughes came to the library to get Ed. Edward reluctantly followed the man out to his car. The drive to Hughes's home was driven in complete silence. Edward was pretty sure that a knife would be able to slice through the tension. When they got home Ed grunted a 'Hello' to Gracia and went to the guest room. He sat on the bed and looked around the room. It was simple and relaxing. The walls were a light blue and the floor was a deep brown, hard-wood floor. There was a dresser, desk, a side table, and the bed. There were a few books on the desk and a small lamp. Ed decided he would move the lamp over the side table later so he would have a light near him when he wanted to read.

A small knock at the door pulled Ed out of his observations. He was tempted to yell go away, but sighed and told the intruder to enter. He was a little surprised to see a little girl open the door. Her light brown hair was tied in two small pigtails. She smiled at Ed a little unsure if it was okay for her to come in. Ed sighed and smiled back at the small girl.

"You can come in Elysia. I won't bite, honest." Ed told the small girl. She ran into the room and sat down on the bed next to Edward. She began flattening her pink floral dress before speaking.

"Are you staying here?" Elysia asked happily.

"Yea, I'm staying here for a while." Ed said while nodding. Elysia laughed and hugged Ed's arm. Ed squirmed uncomfortably but pat Elysia on the head.

"What 'bout oder big broder?" Elysia asked innocently.

"Ah. He's erm sick. So it's just me for now." Ed explained to the small two year old. Elysia nodded letting Ed know she understood.

"Let's colow!" Elysia said excitedly and grabbed Ed's arm to drag him to her room. Ed watched as she went about grabbing crayons and paper. She then plopped down on a small pink rug that was in the middle of the floor. She motioned for him to sit next to her. He sighed and did as the little girl asked. She handed him a yellow crayon and grabbed a purple one for herself. Ed scribbled some lines to please the small girl, who began humming. Ed couldn't help but smile. He had to admit, Elysia was cute.

----

Hughes was standing outside his daughter's room. He was watching Elysia and Ed color and couldn't help but smile. Ed acted big and tough, but Hughes always knew deep down that Edward was a kid at heart, who was really good at masking his emotions. Watching the thirteen year old coloring and laughing proved Hughes right. So much had been taken away from the Elric brothers at an early age. Ed being the older, took charge and was a shoulder for Al. Hughes had never seen someone so ready to die for another until he met Edward. Hughes sighed internally, he really wanted Ed to realize that there was no reason to shoulder both his and Al's problems all alone. He wanted Ed to realize that Hughes would always be there for him and listen to him. He watched the scene for a few more minutes before quietly walking a bit away from the door. He didn't want Ed to know that he was watching him.

"Ed, Elysia! Dinner!" Hughes called out and went back down the stairs. He was soon followed by the two children. They were talking about what they should do tomorrow. Elysia wanted Ed to go to the park with her, but Ed had never been to a park before and wasn't sure he really cared to, plus he had to work. Ed was about to tell Elysia that he had to work, but Gracia had beat him to it.

"The park sounds like a great idea, sweetie, but I'm afraid Edward has to go to work with, Daddy." Gracia explained with her daughter. After that Gracia began serving dinner. Ed stared at the food drooling. He had not smelled and seen such good looking food since his mother's cooking. Everything look so good that he didn't know what to start on first.

"Edward, if you don't like the food I can make something else for you." Gracia said worried that Ed didn't like anything on the table. Ed looked up and realized that all three Hughes' were looking at him. He blushed slightly and shook his head.

"No, everything looks great Mrs. Hughes. Thank you! I just don't know where to start!" Ed explained with a smile. Gracia giggled. She then took his plate and started loading it with a little bit of everything.

"There you go. Eat as much as you want, OK?" Gracia told Ed with a warm smile that made Ed think of his own mother. Ed felt a small pang in his chest. Being near Mrs. Hughes always made him long for his own mother. He quickly shoved food in his mouth so no one would notice his sudden change of mood.

Ed stayed quiet throughout the rest of dinner. He didn't feel like talking, but he did enjoy listening to Mr. and Mrs. Hughes talking with each other. It took him a while to realize that he replaced their faces with his own parents. He always wondered what his parents would have talked about. He liked to think they would have been like Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, laughing and smiling. Ed threw the idea out of his head._ "It never would have been like this because that bastard left."_ Ed thought to himself. He pushed his plate away no longer feeling hungry. Ed stood up and quickly left the room, now feeling sick watching the way both Hughes' were staring at each other. Ed needed air and quick.

----

Hughes stared at his wife, a little startled by Ed. He had seemed happy to Hughes during most of dinner. He shook his head. Hughes would never fully understand what went through that boys head sometimes.

"I guess I should see what that was about." He said to his worried wife. He stood and kissed Gracia softly on the lips and left to go find Ed. He opened the front door and saw the blond sitting on the steps on the porch. He moved to sit next to Ed and didn't say anything, hoping Ed would explain himself.

"Sorry." Ed mumbled quietly.

"It's okay. You want to talk about what's wrong?" Hughes asked just as quietly.

"Nothing. Just felt a little sick. I'm going to bed." Ed answered quickly and began rising. He felt a hand grab his own. Ed looked at Hughes quizzically.

"I know you don't trust me, Ed. But, I'm here okay? How about we sit out here for a while? It's nice and I won't ask you anything. Just sit." Hughes asked. Ed stared at him then sat back down. He looked up to the sky. He missed seeing stars. It was hard to see stars in Central, it made him wish he was back home. He felt an arm placed around his shoulders, but did not say anything about it. It was comforting and he knew it made Hughes happy. They sat there like that for a little while enjoying the gentle breeze and staring at the sky. Ed finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Back in Risembool Al and I used to watch the stars almost every night. Usually after we finished sparring." Ed said with a thoughtful look on his face. Hughes looked at Ed and could tell Ed was back in the past. Hughes smiled, happy that Ed told him something of his past, even if it was as simple as watching stars with his brother.

"Can I call, Al?" Ed asked suddenly.

"Sure. No need to ask, go ahead." Hughes told a smiling Ed. Edward jumped up and rushed to the phone. Hughes chuckled following him. Hughes took Elysia to bed while Gracia was cleaning the dinner dishes.

----

Ed was grateful for the privacy and quickly dialed in the phone number. After two rings someone answered.

"_Hello?" _A girl answered, yawning. It suddenly dawned on Ed that Winry and Granny Pinako had probably been asleep.

"Hey, Winry! Sorry for calling so late. Can I talk to Al." Ed said excitedly. He couldn't wait to hear Al's voice. Winry groaned into the phone and called out for Al. Ed heard loud clanging and then Al's voice.

"_BROTHER! I'm so happy that you called. I was getting worried. How are you?" _Al asked overjoyed by his big brothers call.

"Sorry, Al. I've been a little busy since I got back to Central. I'm okay, how have you been? I miss you!" Ed said in a little hurt voice. He heard Al laugh and it put a smile on Ed's face. He really loved his little brother so much.

"_I've been good! Winry has been keeping me busy with cleaning and stuff. What have you been busy with, brother?" _Al asked a little worried what could keep his brother so busy. So Edward went to explain everything that had happened. He left out the part of being attacked, and simply said it started because he had accidentally blown up a building during his mission. Al laughed at his brother. Ed was always getting into trouble and it wasn't the first building that Ed ruined. Al was wondering how long it would take for the Colonel to finally punish Ed for all the damage he always caused.

"_Brother, when do I get to come back to Central?"_ Al asked curiously. He really missed his big brothers company. The days were long without him around.

"Oh yea, I forgot to tell you. Colonel Bastard says by the end of the two weeks that he's sure Archer will get bored and quit prying!" Ed explained to Al.

"_That's good. I guess two more weeks won't be too bad. I miss you a lot brother. Promise you will be good for Mr. Hughes? And try to behave yourself. Okay?" _Al told Ed. He knew how his brother was and knew he was probably going to cause some sort of trouble for Mr. Hughes. Ed laughed at his lecturing brother. Ed did sometimes question who was really the older brother.

"I promise, Al. But only because I need to get back on those missions. Goodnight, Al! I'll try and call again soon. Bye." Ed said a little sad.

"_Goodnight, brother. Bye." Al said and then the line went dead. _

_

* * *

_**Next chapter is going to be a Havoc and Ed chapter...I just love Havoc he's amazing! =)**

**I can't wait for Chapter 96 of the manga for Fullmetal! Ack.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, another chapter up! Woohoo for me, I was worried I would never get this written. I had severe writer's block. But, alas! Here it is. I really tried to bring to life Ed's and Havoc's relationship, so hopefully I did it half way decent. I liked this chapter quite a bit. I want to once again apologize for any grammar or spelling errors. I know how annoying it is to read a story that has mistakes in it. I've never had a decent English teacher, so what I learned is from my own experience and from books I read. Hopefully I will get a Beta soon and will have help in that area. Any way.**

**Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own FMA or any of it's characters._

_

* * *

_**Chapter 4.**

The next two days went by incredibly slow for Edward. He would wake up early, Hughes would drive them to HQ, and then Ed would go to Mustangs office. There Mustang would shove piles of paperwork on him. Edward would always throw a steady stream of insults Mustangs way when he gave Ed paperwork.

Today was the third day Ed sat at a desk doing paperwork. He was positive he was going to die of boredom. He gave a dramatic sigh and shoved everything away from him and put his head on the cool desk. Ed felt eyes on him, but he ignored them and continued his sulking.

"Edward, you need to finish that work before you can go home." Hawkeye warned. Ed grunted at her and pulled his head back up. When he noticed everyone staring at him, he began glaring daggers at them. Everyone turned back to their work and Edward pulled his own work back towards him. They worked while small conversations spouted up every now and then, but mostly everyone wanted to finish and be able to leave early. It was decided by Breda that they should all go to the bar and hang out. When Ed heard, he was thrilled, until Breda pointed out that he was underage and could not come.

"Done!" Breda exclaimed happily. Standing up and giving Hawkeye his completed work. Only a few minutes later Farman, Fuery, and Havoc were also finished. Mustang came out of his office and sat down a large pile of paperwork himself and told everyone he was done as well. They all began talking about which bar to go to, while Ed handed in his work and slowly made his way to where Hughes's office was located.

----

"Why the hell does it matter to me that they are all going out? It's not like I ever wanted to hang out with them before." He said so himself and shoved his hands into his red coat's pockets. He was alarmed when he felt a hand on his shoulder and quickly whirled around to face whoever it was. He was about to punch when he saw Havoc grinning down at him.

"Hey there." Havoc said chuckling. "Going to hit me?" Ed blushed and looked away.

"What do you want?" Ed asked angrily. He felt stupid for over-reacting to the simple touch. But, he couldn't help that it brought back memories from that night. He shivered slightly from the thought.

"I was wondering if you were hungry is all. I know a nice place that serves great noodle." Havoc said innocently while grinning. He could tell Ed was embarrassed and also upset. Although he did a great job at hiding it, Havoc could tell Ed felt left out. So, he had decided he would skip the outing to the bar and take Ed out somewhere instead.

Ed looked at him suspiciously for a second before replying. "Why aren't you going with the others? I don't need your pity or whatever." Ed responded trying his hardest not to show how excited he was from the offer. No one had ever asked to hang out with him other than Al.

"Ah, I can drink any time. Plus, those guys are all idiots when drunk." Havoc responded honestly. "So? Care to join me?"

Ed nodded. "Oh, I have to ask Hughes first, otherwise I'll get in trouble." Ed said hotly, clearly annoyed that he had to have permission. Havoc nodded and followed Ed to where Hughes was. Ed knocked on the door and heard a muffled 'Enter'. Ed opened the door to reveal a hunched Hughes. He was reading over a paper like a mad man. He didn't even notice Ed and Havoc until Ed coughed. He sat up and looked at the two blonds.

----

"Oh! Sorry Ed I didn't realize you came in. Is it time to go already?" Hughes asked pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, I was wondering if it would be okay to go and have dinner with, Havoc." Ed asked carefully, "Sir." He added in. Hughes looked from Ed to Havoc and smiled.

"I appreciate you asking me first, Ed. That was very responsible. Yes, you can go with, Havoc. Be home no later than ten, okay?" Hughes Ed grinning happily. He had not expected Ed to ask him when he was going to go somewhere.

"We'll be back at nine, Hughes. Don't worry I won't let him do anything I wouldn't do." Havoc grinned playfully ruffling Ed's hair.

"I think I should be worried then. Behave you two. I don't want to get a call saying you have been arrested." Hughes joked.

The two blonds left the office and went out to the parking lot to find Havoc's car. Once they located it, Havoc began forced Ed to wear his seatbelt.

"So what's this place called?" Edward asked curiously after they began driving off. He kept fussing with the seatbelt because it would grind into his neck.

"It's called Wugs. I found it when I first moved to Central." Havoc explained.

"Oh." Ed wasn't sure what to say to the man. The last time he really spent any time with the man was the night Havoc found him…Ed cut off his thoughts. "Why are you doing this?"

"To be honest, I don't know. You're obnoxious, irrational, hard-headed, and a smart ass. Geeze, let me pull over so you can get out." Havoc joked. Ed couldn't help but let out a laugh, Havoc was great fun.

----

They arrived at the restaurant a while later. The smell of salt and soy sauce hit Ed's nose the second he walked into Wugs. The atmosphere was fun and carefree, he liked the place immediately. Havoc led him over to a red and blue table. As they took their seats a waitress came up.

"Hey there. Welcome to Wugs. What can I get you two tonight?" She asked with a small smile. She brushed back her long brown bangs out of her eyes nervously.

"What would you like, Ed?" Havoc asked. Ed looked at the menu and shrugged. "Two Chicken Chow Miens." Havoc said ordering for them both. "I'll have a large water."

"Coke." Ed said for himself. The waitress told them it would be a few minutes and left to fill their orders. Havoc looked kindly at Ed. He was glad he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?' Ed asked self consciously rubbing at his face. Havoc chuckled.

"No. I was just thinking how this has to be the first time I've ever seen you enjoy yourself." Havoc said kindly. "Usually you're just a pissed off little prick." Havoc laughed and Ed stuck his tongue out at the older blond.

"That's because I'm usually stuck around you and that bastard." Edward said defensively.

"Aw, come on. You can't blame your bad mood on us. Well…okay maybe the Colonel, but not me! Admit it, I am the highlight of your day." Havoc said while trying to keep a serious face. He failed miserably which sent Edward into a hysterical laughter that made Havoc begin laughing as well. People in the restaurant began looking at them oddly. By the time their food and drinks arrived, they were able to control their laughter to a quiet chuckle.

"It's good. Promise." Havoc said through a mouthful of food when he noticed Ed was poking at his dish. Ed looked up at Havoc before taking a bite. His eyes lit up and he began eating the food at an unhealthy pace.

"Slow down you dope. You're going to give yourself a stomach at if you eat that fast." Havoc said sagely. Edward glowered but slowed down like Havoc suggested.

Throughout the meal both blonds enjoyed small talk and teasing each other. Ed had to admit that he really did enjoy himself for the first time a long time. He was much too occupied with good food and making gun of Havoc to feel the pressure of guilt or worry. For the first time since he had transmuted Al's soul into the suit of armor, he felt peaceful. 'Peaceful' was such an odd word and feeling for Edward Elric and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Peaceful was something he remembered once having when he was young and his mother was still alive. Peaceful was when his brother and himself would sit in their father's study, reading the alchemy books that were left behind. Peaceful was playing down at the river with Al and Winry. 'Peaceful', Ed realized, was supposed to be with Al. If Al was feeling peaceful, then it was okay for Ed to feel it. But, Al was not here. Al could not feel 'peaceful' because Ed screwed up and suddenly the forgotten guilt rushed back to him. It was like being hit by a large and very cold waterfall. The smile that had been placed on his handsome face slowly began to replace with a frown. He scowled at himself for being so thoughtless and cruel. Who was he to sit here enjoying himself when Al was not here and even if he was, could not enjoy himself to this degree. Ed's apatite left him and he pushed his plate away.

Havoc noticed the sudden change in Ed's mood. He was concerned, one minute the boy was laughing and joking, as if he was a completely care-free person, then the next he was scowling and angry. _"Damn. I really thought tonight was going to go smoothly."_ Havoc sighed and also pushed his plate away. "I'm full. How about we get going?" He suggested even though he was nowhere near full. Ed just nodded and stood, Havoc followed and left the money and tip on the table. They headed for the car and Ed got in without a word. Havoc sighed again and wondered what happened to Ed's splendid mood. He joined Ed and started the ignition.

----

"Everything okay, kid?" Havoc asked carefully. Ed grunted and nodded, but gave no other reply. Havoc accepted that as an answer and decided to leave Ed alone for the time being. _"Hopefully he cheers up once he sees where I am taking him."_ Havoc said gingerly. It didn't look likely that Ed was going to change from his grumpy attitude any time soon. Still, Havoc hoped. Ed looked around slightly confused when he found out that Havoc was not taking him to Hughes's house.

"Where are we going?" Ed asked with mild interest. Havoc grinned, happy that Ed finally took notice in his surroundings.

"It's a surprise. You didn't think I'd only take you to dinner, did you? I always take my dates to a fun place after dinner." Havoc joked punching Ed's real arm softly.

"Well I'm not one of your dates and I want to go to bed." Ed said grumpily.

Havoc grinned at Ed's protest. "Well too bad. I'm kidnapping you, buddy. No one is going to come to your rescue and I'm going to continue to torture you with fun." Ed growled slightly and sent Havoc a look that could kill before turning and staring out the car window. Havoc momentarily worried that Ed would try to jump from the car, but threw the worry out the window when he saw a small smile spread on Ed's lips.

"What is this place?" Ed asked, the building was almost as big as HQ. It looked old regardless of a fresh new coat of paint that had been applied not even a month ago. It was a rectangle shaped building with many large oval windows. The building was tan and had about ten beams holding the building up in the front. There were diamond symbols painted above each beam and were white. On top of the building was a small box that looked over Central.

Ed got out of the car with Havoc and followed the blond man up a long stairway that led to a large glass double-door. When they entered Ed's eye looked as though they might pop out of his head and his mouth gaped open. "What is this place!" Ed asked again, this time with slightly more enthusiasm.

"Central Museum. I'm actually surprised you have not been here before." Havoc said, glad that his plan to make Ed happy worked. It was working out good for him, he had hoped the kid had not been here before, and luckily he was right.

Ed followed Havoc to a desk that was placed in the large open room. The large room had white walls and a white marble floor. As they walked Ed could hear their footsteps echo in the room. It was furnished with several sofas, chairs, and tables. There were brochures on the tables explaining things such as: When the museum was founded, different programs that one could sign up for, and a list of all the items they had at the museum. The whole room was lit with a bright, white light that came from two crystal chandeliers that hung on the ceiling.

"Hello. Welcome to Central Museum, what can I do for you this evening?" A young woman around nineteen or twenty asked in a sickly sweet voice. Her short red hair was pulled back in a tight knot on her head.

"I wanted the tour for Room A2." Havoc said with a smile on his face. "What's a pretty girl like you working a night shift? It's kind of dangerous for someone as pretty as you to be working here alone." Havoc added in with a fake worried tone. Ed rolled his eyes and slumped his back against the desk.

The woman blushed and giggled. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm not alone here. We have plenty of security guards, though I will be alone next Tuesday night." She said with a small wink. Havoc grinned and Ed gave a loud groan. "How old is your little brother?" She asked not knowing whether he qualified for the children's fee or not. He seemed really young. Ed was about to correct her about being Havoc's little brother, when Havoc interrupted.

"He's thirteen." Havoc replied, not bothering to correct the woman. Ed looked at him confused.

"Oh! He was really small. Well that makes your total 30.50." The woman said with a smile, then added, "But, I'll take 20.00."

Havoc ignored Ed's growling from being called little and handed the woman the money and in return she handed him two tickets and slipped him a small piece of paper. Ed didn't need to see it to know it was her phone number. He once again rolled his eyes. Havoc pulled Ed away from the desk and led him to the room he had paid to see.

Ed looked up at Havoc. He wanted to know why the man had not corrected the woman. "Why did you let her think that I was your brother?"

Havoc looked a little taken aback by Ed's question. "Because you might as well really be my little brother. Sorry, if I knew it would bother you, I would have corrected her." Havoc said a little hurt.

"No it's not that its just…" Ed trailed off, "No one has ever really been this nice to me before, other than Hughes. I didn't think you'd thought of me as anything more than a co-worker or annoying prick." Ed said quietly.

Havoc smiled softly down at the blond boy. "Well now you know. I like your little prick self, kiddo." Havoc ruffled the boy's hair playfully and Ed pulled the man's hand away with grin. "Ah, Room A2. Brace yourself, you might faint." Havoc joked. Ed looked at him questionably. Havoc pushed open wooden double-doors and Ed gasped. He was met with a huge sign that said 'Alchemy Room'. His eyes quickly darted around the large room trying to desperately see everything at once. There were many glass cases that had valuable things behind them. Some had figures while other's held old books and papers. Under each glass case there was a paper that explained about the object in the glass. There were also statues of famous alchemists and picture frames that had different alchemy combinations and under them a paper would explain what each one did. Ed ran up to a small glass window and looked into it. There was transmuted piece of wood inside. It was shaped into a man that was holding a large piece of charcoal. Ed read a piece of paper under the figure.

"_Lars Jonas Central was believed to be the best alchemist during his century. He was famous for his alchemy and ability to help everyone around him. He believed alchemy should only be used for good, and never used alchemy in a fight. He helped found Central and was an important part of Central history. To learn more about Lars Jonas Central, please visit Room H3." _Ed read out loud in awe. He had skimmed an alchemy book that once mentioned a man named Central, but he had not realized he was the one who had established Central. He continued to go from one window to another. Greedily absorbing the information he read. Havoc watched Edward. He had never seen the boy so excited, he was like a little kid on Christmas.

"Al would have loved this!" Ed said happily while moving onto the eighth window before suddenly stopping. Once again his smile faded and was replaced one more with frown. Havoc suddenly understood now why Ed's mood kept fluctuating from good to bad.

"Stop that." Havoc said a little annoyed at himself for not figuring out what the problem was sooner.

"Stop what?" Ed asked looking taken aback. Havoc walked up to the boy and knelt down in front of him and brushed away Ed's bangs so he could look him in the eye. Ed flinched at the touch, but kept quiet otherwise. "Stop trying to make yourself miserable! Okay, so you made a mistake when you were a child. You were desperate and not thinking straight. No one was there to tell Al and yourself everything would get better. Your mom was your world, and you wanted her back. It's understandable. You also have to remember, Al didn't try to stop you. He only helped you. Neither of you could have known that this was going to happen." Havoc took Ed's auto-mail arm into his own hand, then continued before a grumpy looking Ed could interrupt, "You are just as bad off as, Al. I can't say I understand what Al must feel like not being able to feel or anything else, but that just means you need to do those things for him. You have to live with pain every day. I know auto-mail hurts, not to mention you have to keep in shape and do a countless amount of exercises to do so. Can't you let yourself go guilt-free and happy for at least one night, at least for me, kid?" Havoc pleaded. Ed looked away from Havoc, surprised he actually knew slightly how Ed felt. Still though, how could he sit here and have a good time, when Al could not?

Ed sighed and pulled his arm away from Havoc. "It's getting late, we should get going." He began walking off when Havoc grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face him. Ed looked bewildered at the action. Havoc then brought Ed into a bone crushing hug. Ed's nostrils filled with the smell of smoke and cologne.

Havoc released Ed and looked down at Ed's wide eyes. "I never allow the people I care for to be so grumpy all the time. Grumpy people stay small." Havoc said smiling slightly and wrapped an arm around a glowering Ed's shoulders. Havoc led them back to the car and they were off.

----

"Do you think she hates me?" Havoc heard a small voice. He looked over at Ed and wondered he imagined it, but Ed slowly looked at him with a frown. Havoc wasn't sure what to say, Ed sounded so small.

"Whose, she?" Havoc asked even though he had a feeling he knew who.

"Mom."

Havoc's normally goofy grin and happy-go-lucky face was completely solemn. "Ed, your mom does not hate you. How could she? You made a mistake for crying out loud! You made a mistake because you were scared and alone. Damn it, Ed. You were what? Nine? Ten? You were left with a little brother that you had to look out for. You had no family left. You made a choice that you felt was right. If anything, your mother would be damned proud of you! You care so much for Al. Look at everything you do for him. That arm should be enough, but on top of that you risk your life every damn day to try and return him to normal. For a damned child prodigy, you can be awfully stupid, Ed." Havoc finished with a small growl. He wanted the kid to get it through his thick hard head that he needed to quit blaming himself. Havoc knew it wasn't healthy. Without replying, Ed turned back to the window and stared out it. Havoc squeezed Ed's shoulder slightly to try and reassure him that things would get better within time.

By the time they pulled into the Hughes's driveway, Edward was fast asleep. Havoc looked over at Ed, the kid looked peaceful. He sighed and got out of the car, quietly closing the door so as to not wake, Ed. Havoc went over to Ed's door and opened it, catching the kid's head before it slipped. He unbuckled the seatbelt and put an arm under Ed's knees and another around his shoulders. He slowly lifted the kid and was surprised at how much he weighed. _"Must be the auto-mail." _Havoc thought to himself as he grunted slightly under Ed's weight. Ed snuggled against Havoc's chest a little and Havoc had to grin. He made his way to Hughes front door and knocked carefully so he didn't move Ed around too much. After the second knock, Hughes opened the door and smiled at the site. He quickly moved out of the way so Havoc could come in and led him up to Ed's room. Havoc carefully put the kid on to the bed, while Hughes pulled off Ed's boots.

"It go well?" Hughes whispered, placing Ed's boots by the bed.

"Sort of. Kid kept trying to keep himself from enjoying things. Felt guilty about having fun with Al in his condition." Havoc whispered back while looking softly at the sleeping Ed. He bent down and pulled out Ed's hair band and as he did Ed's eyes opened slightly.

"Thanks for the good time…brother." Ed whispered sleepily and rolling over onto his stomach. Havoc took a step back a little surprised. He never in a million years would have thought Ed would call him that, even if the kid was half asleep. A smile that Havoc couldn't have stopped if he tried, spread across his face. He felt Hughes pat his back and looked at the fatherly man. Hughes was grinning as he left the room. Havoc followed closing the door quietly.

"Guess it went better than you thought." Hughes said as soon as Havoc joined him in the hallway.

"Guess so." Havoc laughed quietly.

"Ed needs someone he can rely on. Be good to him." Hughes said softly, happy that Ed thought so highly of Havoc, and slightly jealous. Both men headed down stairs. "Want a drink?"

Havoc shook his head. "I need to get home. I'm tired and lots of work in the morning." Hughes nodded and both men said goodbye.

Havoc still had a smile on his face as he got in his car and left. Little did he know, Ed was also smiling, feeling happy for the first time in a while.

* * *

**Woo! ooo I just love Havoc so much. The guys awesome! Anyway, really hope you liked this. Hopefully Havoc wasn't too OOC. I try my best, which isn't always the greatest, but it's the trying that counts, right? Haha! Well, try and review, and don't forget I really don't mind people telling me if it's bad or not. I know some writers get offended, but I believe it just helps me learn, and also gives me motivation to learn more and prove you flamers wrong. =) So even if you wannt to be a prick and say "It sucks" please do! **

**Also, I'm not sure when I am going to get chapter 5 out, so sorry if it's late...I'm going to be busy with registration with my classes as well as helping my brother move. But, I will have another chapter up, hopefully by Tuesday for sure. I talk a lot... ^^''  
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**Ed: You are a prick...**

**Me: ...  
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	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here's another chapter! I was really happy that I managed to have time to write this. I wasn't planning on updating until Monday, but what ever. I realized that last chapter felt very rushed with Havoc and Ed. So I decided to help clear up the confusion and added some things from Havoc's POV to help make Ed and Havoc's brotherly relationship feel more realistic. Hopefully this helps. I really want to add a huge thanks to Misty-Nala!!!!!!!!! You really helped me develop this chapter** **without realizing it. I also want to apologize for all my mistakes in chapter 4. I try really hard to catch everything, but I am sadly only human. My brain thinks faster than I can type and I tend to leave words out, or spell them wrong in my hurry. I'm trying hard to improve that, and I use two different spell/grammar checkers. So forgive mee! I try my bestest!  
**

**Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer__: I do not own FMA or any of it's characters._

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**Chapter 5.**

Havoc was sitting on his couch smoking a cigarette. He enjoyed seeing the smoke swirl around and an almost graceful way. Everything about smoking was soothing to him. He stuck a finger through a puff of smoke and drew in it lazily. He was damned bored. He would have gone into work, but Roy didn't want to catch the cold from Havoc. Three days after he had taken Ed out for some fun, he got sick. Havoc puffed hard on his cigarette. He never got sick, and yet here he was, sick as a dog. Sick as a dog and bored out of his mind. Since he got sick, Havoc had a lot of time on his hands to think. And thinking he did. He thought about some of his past dates, he thought about work, he thought about family, but mostly, he thought about Ed. For some unknown reason, Ed was constantly slipping his way into Havoc's head. He kept thinking about Ed calling him 'brother'. When he confronted Ed to find out if he really felt that way, Ed denied ever saying such a thing and called Havoc delusional.

"Delusional." Havoc snorted. Havoc had to admit, when he first met Edward Elric, the child prodigy. State Alchemist at twelve, he really despised the kid. He was loud and obnoxious and everything else that was annoying. Slowly though, Havoc began to like the kid more and more. He felt somewhat protective of the kid, and had to admit that Ed was a good person. Ed. Havoc decided Ed could win over anyone, if he really wanted to. The thing Havoc loved the most in Ed was the kid was damned hard headed. It made him think of his own little brother. Havoc knew that was one of the main reasons for liking, Ed. Ed was just too much like his own brother, and by being with Ed, it helped fill the gaping hole in his heart. He felt bad though, thinking of it that way. Thinking of Ed simply as someone to help fill the hole. He couldn't help it though, but he did like Ed all the same.

"Damn." Havoc whispered, hating himself for all this thinking. Hating for what he couldn't change. The night he had seen Ed so defenseless and scared. It brought back sealed memories, and Havoc felt a fear run through him that he hoped never to feel again. After that night though, Havoc had truly come to accept Ed as his little brother, substitute or not. Havoc had silently sworn that he would never let someone hurt Ed like that. For Havoc, it felt like a strong bond had formed between the two blonds that night. Havoc was the only one to see Ed in that horrible position. He had been the only one to ever see real fear in Ed's golden sun eyes. He assumed Ed had also felt the sudden bond. The sudden needing to accept one another as something more than friends. Something like brothers. Ed needed it and Havoc could not deny that he needed it as well. Thinking of it that way, Havoc didn't feel so bad to think that he was using Ed for his own personal healing.

A knock at the door pulled him away from his dreary thoughts. He groaned in annoyance. He did not want visitors, he wanted to be bored in peace. He stood slowly and wrapped his robe around himself before opening the door.

"Hey there! I was just stopping by to give you some soup that Gracia made." Hughes said cheerfully, and Hughes opened the door to let the man in.

"Thanks." Havoc mumbled when Hughes handed him a small pot. He left Hughes at the door to take off his boots and went to set the soup on the counter. "Where's, Ed?"

"He's sleeping. It was actually him who suggested to make you soup. He spent the afternoon making it with Gracia, then fell asleep before I got to the house to pick him and the soup up. So I came to drop it off." Hughes called out.

"Sleeping? I didn't think making soup was so tiring!" Havoc chuckled lightly which caused a fit of coughing.

"He doesn't sleep well at night." Hughes explained as he stepped into Havoc's small kitchen. Hughes smiled, Havoc's apartment had 'bachelor' written all over it. The apartment was small, a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a few closets. The bedroom consisted of a bed, dresser, and very neglected desk. His living room had one green torn couch, a small table, and a television. The kitchen had a small table and two chairs. There were no decorations, expect for one photo that sat on the table in the living room. The photo consisted of a much younger Jean Havoc and a small blond boy. Hughes had only been over at Havoc's place a handful of times. But during each of those quick visits, Hughes never asked about the picture and Havoc never told.

"Huh. Maybe he needs a night-light." Havoc said slightly joking.

"It's really no joking matter. He's scared Gracia and Elysia badly before when he woke up screaming." Hughes said seriously.

Havoc looked at Hughes. He didn't realize Ed was having nightmares. In fact, Havoc thought Ed was doing incredibly well. "That bad?"

Hughes nodded slowly and went over to a cupboard to get out a bowl and then found a spoon. "He won't talk about it though. Honestly, he hasn't spoken much at all lately. Doesn't eat much either. Pretty unusual behavior for our little, Edo." Hughes explained while pouring some of the soup into the bowl and heating it in the microwave.

Havoc took the bowl from Hughes and sat at the table. "With everything that has happened I don't blame him, plus it probably doesn't help that he's away from, Al." Havoc said while blowing a little on the spoon of soup before eating it.

"You're probably right, Jean. Just wish he'd talk to me about it. Kid's too prideful. How's the soup?"

"Really great, Maes. Tell Gracia and Ed I said thanks." Jean replied grinning when a sudden image of Ed in an apron popped into his mind. He would have to tease the smaller blond, he just wouldn't be able to resist.

Hughes stood smiling and nodded. "Ed will probably come over later today or tomorrow. I should get going, feel better."

Jean closed and locked the door behind Hughes and went back to finish his soup, already feeling slightly better.

----

When Hughes walked into his house, he was tackled by his daughter.

"Daddy! Your home, wee!" Elysia sang sweetly. Hughes laughed and picked the little girl up and gave her a piggy back ride into the kitchen where Gracia was sitting.

"Hello, dear. I didn't expect you to come home after giving Jean the soup." Gracia said giving her loving husband a kiss on the cheek.

"I finished all my work before I came by earlier for the soup. I wanted to finish early today so I could come home to my beautiful girls." Hughes said grinning and pulling his wife and daughter into a big hug.

"Oh, Maes." Gracia sighed happily, "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"I think so." Hughes joked. He put Elysia down on the ground and looked back to his wife. "Where's Edward?

Gracia's smile faltered a little and she sighed again, only this time it was a sad sigh. "He woke up about and hour ago and has been in the backyard since. He seems really upset." Hughes nodded and headed for the backyard.

He found Ed lying on his back in the grass, hands behind his head, eyes closed. One of Ed's eyes opened slightly to see the man walking towards him. He closed it when Hughes sat down next to him. Hughes was going to ask the boy what was wrong, but Ed started talking.

"What makes a father love his family?" Ed asked quietly.

Hughes was a little surprised by the question, but answered without any hesitation. "I guess it's instinctual. When I met Gracia, I just knew, right away that I wanted her for ever. I wanted to be by her side every day, through everything. Bad and good. Easy and difficult. When Elysia was born, it was just another instinctual thing. I just knew I loved her endlessly and wanted to protect her. From the second I saw her face, I knew I would die for her. I would die for both of them."

Ed nodded and responded with a little 'Oh'. "I called Al today."

"How is he doing?" Hughes accepted Ed's attempt to change the conversation.

"He said he's really enjoying being back in Risembool." Ed said, almost sadly.

"I'm sure he's missed being home." Hughes said, not sure if he really heard the sadness in Ed's tone or not.

"Al's really gentle. I know he hates traveling and doing dangerous stuff. Al was always the boring one when we were growing up." Ed said with a small smile. "I think I'm going to lie to him."

"Lie? Lie about what, Ed?" Hughes asked curiously, a small frown forming on his face. Ed wasn't one to normally lie to his brother, unless he felt it would protect, Al.

"I want Al to be happy. If Risembool is what makes him happy…then I'll lie and tell him it's not safe to back for a while longer." Ed said, covering his face with his bangs.

"What about you, Ed? You aren't happy away from Alphonse." Hughes said seriously.

"I don't deserve to be happy. Not when it's my fault that Al is the way he is. This shouldn't be Al's problem, it's my fault. He should at least be happy while I look for the stone." Ed said and let out a small yell when he was pulled into a sitting position and Hughes glowering face was inches from his own. Ed tried to pull away, but Hughes held his shoulders firmly. "What are you doing?" Ed asked sending Hughes a deadly glare.

"That was a completely stupid thing to say. You made a mistake, Ed. It doesn't mean you have to make yourself suffer for it. You're trying you best and that should be enough for you! Don't ever say you don't deserve something." Hughes snarled and stood leaving a completely startled Ed behind.

"What the hell? Someone has lost his mind." Ed whispered to himself, shaking his head in bewilderment. Hughes had never raised his voice to the teen before. Ed shrugged it off and walked off towards the house.

"Can I go to Havoc's?" Ed asked Gracia. He would have asked Hughes, but the man had gone upstairs and Ed heard a door slam. He winced from the sound, feeling slightly guilty at being the reason for the man's sudden bad mood.

"Sure, Ed, but you need someone to take you there." Gracia said with a worried concern on her face as she stared up the stairs. What ever happened between the two must have been serious. It took a lot to make her husband angry like that.

"I'll be fine. Please? I don't think Mr. Hughes wants to see me right now." Ed said quietly. Gracia looked at him for a minute before responding.

"Okay, fine. It isn't too far. Don't make any side trips, straight there. Call as soon as you get there, and I'll have Maes come to pick you up." Gracia said, using a stern motherly voice that Ed had heard his own mother use before.

"I will, Mrs. Hughes. Thanks!" Ed ran out of the house before she could change her mind.

----

Ten minutes later Ed was standing outside Havoc's apartment door. He knocked once and heard cursing from the other side. Ed grinned when the man opened the door.

"You look like crap." Ed greeted the man with a grin and walked inside.

"Gee thanks, Ed." Havoc said closing the door once Ed had come in.

"You don't seem surprised to see me." Ed said as he pulled off his boots.

"Gracia called and said you should be coming here in about ten minutes or so. I'm surprised Hughes didn't drop you off." Havoc said with slight curiosity.

Ed followed Havoc in to the living room and sat down on a couch next to Havoc. Ed studied the man before responding. Havoc's eyes were red and puffy from being sick. He had large purple bags under his eyes and his nose was red. The man looked like complete hell. "Yea. Well, he's kind of pissed off at me right now." Ed said turning his attention to the room. He'd never been inside Havoc's place before. He had come a couple of times with Mustang, but never actually went inside. He studied the small room and his eyes fell on a small picture frame that was next to the couch. In it was a very young Jean and a small blond boy. Ed picked the picture up.

"What did you do this time?" Havoc asked with his eyes closed and not paying attention to Ed.

"Uh…I don't know…"

"Pfft. Hughes isn't an easily pissed off man, Ed. You really are blessed with the knack for pissing others off." Havoc chuckled lightly and opened his eyes. He looked down and opened them a little wider when he saw what Ed was holding.

"How old were you?" Ed asked curiously, once he saw Havoc's eyes on him.

"Sixteen."

"Who is he?" Ed asked while pointing at the little boy that was standing next to Havoc.

"My little brother." Havoc said getting up and heading towards the kitchen. He wasn't having this conversation with Ed.

"Are you feeling any better?" Ed asked as he followed Havoc into the kitchen. Havoc sighed a breath of relief that Ed didn't ask any other questions.

"Yea a bit. That soup you made was great. Now I know what to buy you for your next birthday." Havoc said grinning. He continued when Ed looked at him questioningly, "An apron." Havoc burst out laughing at the horror on Ed's face.

"Why…you…if…damn you!" Ed said as he launched himself at a laughing Havoc. Ed tackled Havoc to the ground and growled. Havoc burst into a new fit of laughter, which pissed Ed off even more. He got off Havoc and stood up over the man, glaring at the him. Then, slowly Ed's frown turned into a pout.

Havoc stopped laughing and looked at Ed, slightly afraid that he had actually hurt his feelings. "Ed? Er, Ed I was just joking. I really liked the soup." Havoc apologized quickly. For some reason, this made Ed burst into his own fit of laughter. Ed's laughter sent Havoc into another fit of laughter, and both blonds sat in the kitchen laughing at absolutely nothing.

----

Two hours later and twenty card games later, Ed announced Hughes was probably going to come get him soon. Havoc nodded in reply and opened his second beer. Ed stared at the beer with mild interest. He had never drunk anything alcoholic before, except a sip of wine once. He was curious to know what beer tasted like. Apparently, Havoc understood Ed's expression of interest.

"No, Ed." Havoc said simply.

"Just a sip? Come on what's one sip going to do?" Ed pleaded.

Havoc grinned. "That's what I said and now I drink regularly. No way, Ed."

Ed began pouting. Havoc laughed, "I said no. I don't want Hughes's fury against me for getting you drunk."

Ed glared and grunted. He mumbled something that sounding like 'I'll show you fury'.

"What was that, kid?" Havoc said smiling.

"Nothing." Ed said in an innocent tone. "I'm going to go!" He exclaimed as he stood up

"Uh, no you are not. Not until Hughes gets here." Havoc pulled the teen back down on the couch.

"I'll meet him half way." Ed declared, pulling his arm out of Havoc's weak grip.

Havoc groaned. "I am not fighting with you about this. I said no and that's my answer." Ed ignored the man and proceeded to pull on his boots. Havoc walked over to him. "Ed, I said N-O." Havoc spelled the word out for him.

"Thanks for the good time." Ed said smiling and proceeded to open the locked door. Havoc put his hand on the door.

"Damn you Edward! I said NO. Do you need a refreshment of what happened last time you were alone at night?" Havoc snarled. Ed was absolutely impossible, he was trying to remember why he liked the kid again.

Ed shivered slightly before answering. "It's only ten minutes away, Jean. I'll probably end up meeting Hughes half-way there, anyway. Now move before I make you." Ed said challengingly.

Havoc gritted his teeth. "First off, do not call me Jean. It's Mr. Jean or Havoc, learn some respect for your elders. Second I don't give a damn if it's ten minutes away or an hour away. You are not going." Havoc said sternly. Havoc began pulling Ed away from the door just as there was a knock. Havoc gave a know-it-all smile and opened the door. Ed stuck his tongue out at the man.

"Hey, Havoc. I'm here for, Ed." Hughes said as Havoc opened the door.

"Sure thing Maes. Glad you're here, Ed was insisting that he was going to walk home alone." Havoc said happily. Ed muttered 'tattle-tale' and pushed past Havoc.

Hughes sighed, "Ed, you really don't want to press my buttons tonight." Hughes then turned to Havoc, "Thanks for stopping him, Havoc." Havoc grinned and waved to the two as they started to walk down the street.

----

Once they turned the corner of the street, and were no longer able to see Havoc's apartment, Hughes turned to Ed and pushed him up against a wall. Ed looked at Hughes with pure surprise written all over his face.

"Mr. Hughes? What's wrong?" Ed asked nervously when the man glared at him with stone cold eyes. Hughes brought his hand up and slapped Ed hard across the face. Ed saw stars for a second before he felt the stinging pain from the slap. He was completely shocked. Hughes had just slapped him! He couldn't believe it. He tried pulling away from the man, but Hughes dig his finger harder into Ed's shoulders making the boy wince.

"Mr. Hughes, damn it! What's your fucking problem! Let me go now!" Ed yelled, fighting back the tears of betrayal that were trying to spill. He was not going to give the man the pleasure of knowing he hurt Ed.

"Aw, poor Fullmetal, did that hurt? If that hurt, then this will hurt more." Hughes said in a mocking voice that did not belong to him. Ed's eyes widened when he saw Hughes pull at a small knife. He began fighting the man wildly. He stopped when he felt cold metal go through his skin and screamed out in pain. Hughes twisted the knife around in Ed's shoulder, causing the boy to scream out louder. He pulled the knife back out and examined the stab he created, and began to laugh loud. Ed managed to kick the man away from him and back away from Hughes.

"Y-you're Envy!" Ed claimed breathlessly.

"Oh, the Fullmetal brat is smart." Envy cackled, every word dripping with sarcasm. "I'm not finished with you yet though." Envy said.

Edward didn't wait for the homunculus to finish. He turned and sped off as quickly as possible. He knew Envy was following him, but didn't dare to turn around. Ed continued to run, even though his lungs and body protested, until he ran into someone. He looked up and panic overtook him. He had run into Hughes, or Envy disguised as Hughes, Ed corrected.

"Ed?!" Hughes said confused. But, Ed couldn't think. His brain wouldn't register that this man was not Envy. His brain could not register to hear the concern. His brain told him to do only one thing. His auto-mail arm was transformed into a knife and that knife pierced Hughes's chest. It wasn't until Hughes looked into Ed's eyes that Ed realized his mistake. Envy's eyes would not show such emotion. There would not be such pain in them. There would not be hurt, concern, pleading, confusion. No, there would not be any of those, and Ed's heart stopped when Hughes mouthed his name once more before he fell to the ground, bleeding out quickly.

"Mr. Hughes." Ed said quietly, panic once more filling his voice. "HUGHES!" Ed called out again as the man slowly began to bleed to death.

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**Hehehe...I realize many of you might hate me for this cliff hanger. I just had to do it, there is nothing I love more than leaving my readers hanging and begging for more. I'm so evil! Hopefully, I will have the next chapter up before Wednesday. I have not even begun to write it sooo yea. Haha! Hmm... ;)  
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**Hughes: How could you?**

**Me: *Evil Laugh*  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Ack! I am so-so-so very ever so sorry about updating after so long. I truly apologize this being so late. You must all understand though that I was extremely busy. From no electricity for 3 days to registering for classes**! **I can't say I am entirely happy with this chapter, I felt a bit rushed since I wanted to get this out to you guys fast. It's not very long either, but I promise to try much harder to update quicker. Anyway, I want to thank my fans so very much. You are all great and your amazing comments are what make me want to keep writing this. Also, forgive me for any errors. After this chapter hopefully I will have a Beta! Nala has already agreed *excited*. **

**Enjoy.**

_Disclaimer:__ I do not own FMA...or any of its character. _

_

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_**Chapter 6**

The first thing that hit Maes Hughes when he woke up was the numbness. He wasn't entirely sure he liked the feeling. It made his throat feel weak and made it hard to force his heavy eyes open. He was confused and could not remember where he was. He tried to move, but it seemed impossible with how heavy his body felt. _"Is someone sitting on me?_" Hughes thought panicky. He tried again to look around and failed. It took him a whole minute to realize someone was standing next to his bed saying something. He tried to calm himself and listened fully on what the person was saying.

"…and I'm here so all you have to do is relax." The voice finished.

"_Roy."_ Hughes thought. Roy was there telling him it would be okay. Hughes finally managed to move his head towards Roy and saw an extremely worried and tired man. Roy's hair was a mess, he was wearing his uniform, which was wrinkled, his eyes were red, and he looked as though he would pass out due to exhaustion and relief.

"Roy." Hughes attempted, but his throat was too dry and no noise came from his mouth. Roy seemed to understand and quickly poured him some water. He put the glass up against Hughes lips, and Hughes drank a huge gulp. He could have cried from the relief that the water had on his sore throat. Once finished he once again tried to speak.

"Roy, what happened?" Hughes asked, though to his dismay it came out in a struggled whisper. Roy heard though, and that's all that Hughes cared about.

Roy looked at Hughes, an expression of fear and sadness running through his almost black eyes, before answering. "You were on your way to pick up, Ed." Roy began slowly, and Hughes gave a small smile to encourage him to continue. "Ed was panicked, something called a Homunculus was chasing him…" Roy couldn't seem to finish, but he didn't need to. Hughes remembered the rest and a small shiver went through his body from the memory.

"Is he okay?" Hughes whispered. Roy looked down at his best friend. How could he be concerned about Ed when he had been stabbed?

"He'll be okay physically. He had a wound on his shoulder." Roy stated. _"Mentally though, I'm not so sure_._"_ Roy added in his mind.

Hughes seemed to catch on to what Roy had said. "Can I see him?"

"Once…we find him. He was the one who brought you here. He called me after they took you into surgery. I didn't understand everything he told me, but once I got to the hospital, he was already gone. It was a close call, if he had not gotten here when he did, you…That doesn't matter though, you're going to be fine now. I'll bring Gracia and Elysia in and go look for Ed. Havoc left a while ago to go find him." Roy finished and headed for the door.

----

Hughes nodded to himself. He felt tears at the brim of his eyes, and let them fall. He felt like he had been dunked in freezing water and then put by a hot fire. He couldn't believe he had lived. He would be able to see his beautiful wife once more and his wonderful little baby girl. More tears began to roll down his cheeks, but he didn't move to wipe them away. He needed them, it told him he was alive and would be able to hold his family again. He heard the door open again and when he looked over, he saw Gracia and Elysia. More tears sprouted from his eyes as Gracia grabbed him into a hug.

"I was so scared." Gracia whispered through her own tears. Hughes held her tighter and brought Elysia into the hug as well. He didn't ever want to let go. The thought of almost leaving his two most prized possessions behind scared him senseless.

"It's going to be okay now." Hughes said and kissed Gracia tenderly on her lips, then kissed Elysia on the forehead.

A few hours later Roy returned and told Hughes that Havoc was bringing Ed up to see him soon. Hughes had begged Roy to take both Gracia and Elysia home that night and stay with them. Roy was hesitant by the request, but after Hughes had promised Roy a bottle of whiskey later, Roy finally complied. It was about an hour later that Havoc entered the hospital room that Hughes was in.

----

The blond man walked up to Hughes with a lopsided grin. "Hey there. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I've been better." Hughes said, giving Havoc a small smile in return. Havoc chuckled then looked behind him at the door.

"Get your ass in here kid. Unless you want me to continue to drag you." Havoc said threateningly to the door. Hughes tried to see past Havoc to get a look at Ed. Edward slowly walked in, face hidden by his bangs. He took a few steps hesitantly towards Havoc, but stopped half-way, refusing to look up. "I'm going to smoke and then get some coffee." He said as he walked past Ed. He ruffled Ed's hair then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Hughes looked Edward over. He didn't have his red coat with him. He seemed small without it. He was only wearing his black tank top. His black jeans had tears in it, and what looked like blood. His left arm was up in a sling and bandages covered his left shoulder. Ed's usual braided hair was now in a loose ponytail. He also seemed extremely tense, as though someone was about to strike him at any second.

Hughes sighed inwardly. When he first remembered what Ed had done to him, he felt a hint of betrayal and hurt. It disappeared now, after seeing Ed in the state he was in. Hughes couldn't really blame Ed. The boy had panicked, though Hughes didn't understand why he would have attacked him.

"It's okay Edward. I'm not upset with you. Come here, please." Hughes said in a soft voice. Ed cringed and finally looked up at the man he had nearly killed. Hughes didn't understand the look in Ed's eyes. Fear.

"Edward? Why are you afraid of me? I'm not going to hurt you." Hughes tried to understand what that fear meant.

"I…don't want to hurt you…and I can't…" Ed couldn't finish and he seemed to be trying hard not to cry. His eyes were glossy and red.

"You won't hurt me, I promise. You can't what?" Hughes prodded, trying to get the small boy to confide in him.

"I-I thought I was walking home with you, then you attacked me a-and I thought I was going to die. But, it was Envy, a homunculi, then I ran into you when I was trying to escape and I th-thought it was him and-and…" Ed trailed off, tears running in a steady stream down his face. He looked to utterly broken and small. He was trying his best to control himself. He was not a child, there was no need for him to cry. He was not some big baby, but knowing he hurt Hughes, the one man he truly trusted, pained him to no end.

Hughes propped himself up a bit on his pillows. "Ed…Please come here. It's me, and I won't hurt you and you won't hurt me. It's going to be okay now." Hughes tried again. Slowly Ed walked up to the man, stopping at arms length from the bed. "Edward." Ed sighed and sat down on the bed. Hughes wrapped an arm around the boys waist and brought Ed's head to rest against his shoulder. He felt Ed tense and try to pull away. "No. Just sit still, okay?" Hughes said sternly. Ed squirmed a bit more before finally relaxing.. Hughes ran circles in Ed's back trying to calm the boy. "Shh, now. Everything's okay."

Edward managed to stop the tears. Instead, they were replaced with a bitter anger. Hughes was so pale and his chest was heavily bandaged. Wires and needles were all over the place, and Ed had done it to him. Ed was the reason that the one person he trusted, other than Al, was injured. He felt the man's embrace strengthen.

"Stop!" Ed pulled away from the startled Hughes and stood up. His nails digging into his palms and his teeth clenched, "Stop it! Damn you! Damn you for acting like everything is okay! Don't you get it? I ruin everything! I've done nothing but hurt the people I care most for. I destroyed Al, I make Winry cry every other day, most humans can't stand me, and- and I nearly killed you! I'm a disaster!" Ed yelled and ran out of the room. He ran right into Havoc and looked at the man before taking off into the night.

----

Havoc blinked and stared after Ed. He walked into Hughes's room and saw anger flooding out of the man. "What happened?" Havoc asked, not sure if he should stay with Hughes or go after the boy.

"How long do I have to stay here?" Hughes asked quietly.

"Uh. Until tomorrow at least. Maybe two days." Havoc replied a little annoyed that Hughes ignored his question.

"Good because when I get out I'm going to kick that kid's ass. I'll be fine. I'm going to get some rest. I suspect you'll take care of him?" Hughes asked. Havoc nodded and left the room closing the door behind him. He sighed loudly and headed out of the hospital. This was the second time he'd have to look for the brat.

"_Ugh, I really hate you sometimes Ed."_ Havoc thought to himself gloomily.

Havoc searched high and low for nearly two hours before he gave up. He was pissed off and not in any mood to continue to look for Ed. He sighed to himself as he headed to his apartment. He knew he'd never fall asleep and end up searching for him in another hour or so. Havoc opened the door to his apartment and removed his shoes and coat. He turned on the lights and headed for his bed. He was too tired to bother with changing or a shower. Havoc had not expected to find a small blond boy already asleep in his bed.

"What the hell! I spent two damned hours looking for you and you were here asleep! Damn you Edward!" Havoc yelled, making the teen jolt upright and look over at him sleepily.

"Hmm?" Ed said, rubbing puffy red eyes. "Oh…it's you. Shh." Ed laid back down and rolled over.

Havoc couldn't believe the kid had just told him to be quiet in his own house. Anger boiled in Havocs sick and exhausted body. He left the room and swiftly returned with a glass of cold water. Without another thought he pulled the covers back and dumped the water all over Ed's face and chest. Edward jumped up and screamed. Havoc stood back and laughed harder than he had ever laughed before. Ed turned and stared at the blond man in disbelief.

"You-What…" Ed didn't bother to finish. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He got off the bed and left Havoc laughing on the floor. He went to the front door and began pulling on his boots. Havoc followed him, his laughter ceasing. He knew he had gone too far. He cursed himself and walked over to Ed.

"Come on Ed. It was a joke. Serves you right for leaving me to search aimlessly for you." Havoc tried to defend his actions. He had expected the kid to attack him, but this behavior was unexpected.

"You're right, Jean. Sorry." Ed said in a monotone voice, not looking up at Havoc.

"Come on kid. Don't be like this. I'm sorry, how about we talk? You know Hughes doesn't blame you right?" Havoc tried keeping the blond talking. The last thing he wanted to do was chase the kid around the city. Ed ignored the blond and began tying his boot's laces. "Edward-" Havoc began, but was cut off by the glaring teen.

"What the hell do you want from me! You want me to act like none of this is a big deal? I nearly killed him. KILLED HIM. Don't you get it? You damn bastard. I don't want to be close to the likes of you or anyone else!" Ed began yelling more louder and louder with each word. Before Havoc had a chance to interrupt the smaller blond continued. "I don't want to bother with attachments because in the end it won't matter who I come to love or who loves me! Just stay away from me! I don't want any ones damned help or care!" Ed dropped to his knees shaking with anger and frustration. Havoc stood there lost for words. One sentence kept running through his exhausted mind.

He knelt down next to the pissed off blond boy. He placed his hands on the boys small shaking shoulders. "What…do you mean 'in the end it won't matter' Ed?" Havoc asked slowly, hoping to get the teen to answer. Edward refused to answer and shook his head in protest. He pulled away from the older man, but Havoc held on tight and brought the boy into a hug. "I don't know what you meant by that, kid, but hell if you think I'm just going to let you go. No way in hell am I losing another one." Havoc whispered. Edward fought harder to get away, but Havoc refused to let go, and ignored the pain from Ed's punches.

"I'm not a damn baby you bastard! I've lived long enough with no comforting and I surely don't want it from you!" Ed yelled and shoved Havoc away hard. Ed sat up against the door and pulled his legs up against his chest. His breath was coming out quick from punching Havoc. Havoc sat down next to Edward and pulled out a cigarette. Usually Ed would have taken the cigarette away, but just wasn't in the mood to care. He hated the smell, but right now it seemed to soothe him to a point of wanting nothing but sleep.

----

An hour later, Havoc covered up a sleeping Edward with his bed sheets. He sighed and ran his hands through his messy hair. Once Edward had calmed down, Havoc convinced Ed to stay with him until tomorrow when he would return to the Hughes'. Ed agreed, but only because all his yelling left him

completely exhausted. It had not helped that he had barely gotten any sleep since the incident with Hughes.

Havoc left to change and shower before heading to bed himself. He returned to his bed to grab a pillow and blanket before he crashed on the uncomfortable couch. He noticed Ed was sweating and tense. His face had a look of fear on it and his eyes were blinking rapidly. His mouth seemed to twitch, as if he were whispering silent words.

"_Hmm, a nightmare?" _Havoc thought to himself. He walked up to the bed and gave it a hard kick, jolting the teen up for the second time that night. He glared sleepily at Havoc, looking as if he was ready to pounce on the man and kill him. "Nightmare," was all Havoc said as he left the angry teen in the room. He laid down on the couch and within minutes was snoring.

----

Hughes was released from the hospital two days later. He couldn't have been happier, finally he would be in the presence of his family full-time. Hughes had been shocked when he heard he had been asleep for an entire day before he had woken up in the hospital. The doctors had wanted him to stay for at least one more day, but Hughes refused. He felt fine, other than soreness and some nausea. Luckily Ed had not hit anything vital, and his rib cage took a lot of the impact leaving him with a broken rib and many bruised ones. Hughes figured if he was going to be doing nothing but lying around, it might as well be done in his own bed.

Hughes was greeted by his family and friends when Roy helped him into the house. Between Roy and Havoc, they managed to get Hughes up the stairs and into bed with no extra injuries. Breda and Fuery left shortly after telling Hughes that they were glad he was feeling better. Roy left a few hours afterwards with Hawkeye, both refusing dinner and saying they had work to do. Havoc was the last to leave, mostly because Ed didn't want to be alone with the Hughes'. He was still feeling extremely guilty for what he had done to Hughes and then the way he acted during his visit at the hospital.

"Can I get you anything, dear?" Gracia asked sweetly as she smoothed out the bed sheets.

"No I'm fine. Just glad to be home." Maes smiled at her and patted his daughter on the head.

"We happy too Daddy!" Elysia giggled and gave her father a large hug.

"You want to help Mommy with dinner Elysia?" Gracia asked. Elysia smiled and nodded. Gracia picked her up and left the room, leaving Hughes and Ed alone.

Neither Ed nor Hughes spoke for a while. It was a tense, but comfortable silence, and neither knew what to say. Hughes was planning on bringing up what happened in the hospital, but decided against it for now. Right now he was simply happy to be alive and know that the people he loved were around him. Hughes looked over at Edward who was sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. He was twiddling his thumbs with a dazed look in his eyes. Hughes chuckled lightly. He always wondered where the boy went when he was off in one of his dazes.

"What are you thinking about, Ed?" Hughes asked softly. The boy looked up, eyes still unfocused.

"Whaa?" Ed asked not fully hearing what Hughes had asked. He had only heard his name. Hughes grinned at the confused expression on the youths face.

"I was wondering what you were thinking about." Hughes asked again.

"Oh." Ed said slowly and smiled a little. "Mrs. Hughes just kind of reminds me of my mom. I was just remembering one time when I had fallen out of a tree, and hurt my arm. She'd been really upset because she hated when I climbed trees. She would take care of me and then after, she would scold me, then send me away to my room. I always worried that she would stay mad at me, but no matter how upset I made her, she'd always come back and give me a hug and ask me if I needed anything. Mrs. Hughes…her smile was just like my Mom's." Ed said and smiled sadly at Hughes.

"Thank you, Edward." Hughes voice was filled with gratefulness.

Ed looked at Hughes confused. "Thank you? For what?"

"For still being able to trust me and being completely honest with me." Hughes grinned a wide lopsided grin.

"Why…wouldn't I be able…" Ed stopped when he understood what Hughes meant. "Envy…" Ed said quietly. Hughes nodded slowly before speaking.

"Just for the record. I still trust you the same as before Ed. I know this might put a small bump in our path, but as long as you're willing to jump over it and continue, I am too." Hughes said seriously. He really wanted Ed to understand that in no way did he blame Ed.

Ed sighed before replying. "I can't pretend it didn't happen, but I guess I'm willing to try and put it behind me. I still…I still don't trust myself."

"I'm not asking for you to pretend. What happened, happened. There's nothing we can do to change that. What we can do is keep moving forward, because you know as well as anyone else, if you let every little thing hold you down, you'll never achieve any goals. Also, don't worry about trusting yourself. I'll trust you enough for the both of us. I still trust you with my life, Ed. Okay?" Hughes said without breaking eye contact with the blond boy.

Ed looked away a little startled by Hughes words. How was it possible for the man to trust him like that? "Okay." Ed said smiling a little. "How about I beat your ass in a game of cards? Havoc and Breda taught me how to gamble." Ed gave a mischievous grin.

"They taught you what? Hmm, looks like they're going to get a bit of lecturing." Hughes said while trying hard to look serious. Ed grinned and took out a stack of cards from his pocket.

Many card games later, dinner was ready and Gracia brought bowls of hot soup upstairs, where they all ate happily.

"I'm glad to be home with my family." Hughes grinned around at the three others in the room. Ed blushed lightly at being included and didn't say anything. He thanked Gracia for the food and took his bowl downstairs to wash. He wanted to give Hughes' real family some time alone.

Ed finished washing his bowl and decided to go to bed early. He walked back up the stairs and towards his room when he gave a yelp. There in his doorway stood two yellow eyes staring back at him.

* * *

**Hmm well. There we have it. Hughes has survived Ed's brutal attack! Hehe...I'm too much of a Hughes fan to actually kill him off. Ergh I hated it when he died..I had to skip that chapter in the manga, and both episodes from the FMA anime series. .''**

**Hmm I wonder whose eye's those are!??!? Ack yes, horrible me has left you with ANOTHER annoyingly gruesome cliff hanger.**

**P.S_: If You Like My Story, you will also like "Misty-Nala"'s "Longing For Love" hehe free advertisement. Check it out!_**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, like I said I will try to update much sooner for the next chapter. If not, then know I am trying my best. **

**Adios!  
**


	7. SideStory ThanksGiving

**Well**, **I thought I would make a bit of a side-story since I felt bad I haven't written anything a while. Understand though, with school and exams coming up its hard to find time. Plus, I'm Bi-Polar and there are always months were the depression side hits and I find it hard to write. I am working on the next chapter for Consolidated and it should be done soon. Anyway, this is just a cute angst-y/fluffy little story**.

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If there was one thing Edward Elric hated most, it was holidays. He saw no purpose to them, and so he never much cared for them. Ed knew when Al and he were young, they would celebrate all the holidays with their mother. They may have been happy, he didn't care to remember. Al on the other hand loved holidays and always begged Ed to celebrate them with him. So, Ed would always go out of his way to make sure his little brother had the best time a suite of armor could. This year though the was little different for Ed. Usually, it was Winry and himself that did everything to make the holidays great. This year Ed was told to sit on the sidelines while the Gracia and Maes Hughes took care of all the preparations for Thanksgiving. He was simply to sit around with Al and Winry and enjoy his time with them. So, instead of cooking, cleaning and decorating, he was sitting on a swing at a park watching Al chase birds with Elysia and Winry.

He was trying his very best not to be gloomy about today, in fact one would say he was going completely out of the way to be in a decent mood. Sometime a smile would spread across his face and then he was smacked by his guilt and was once more upset. Edward didn't deserve this happiness. He didn't deserve to be happy when his mother was dead and his only family left was made of metal. Ed sighed as he swung back and forth with his eyes closed and head thrown back. Listening to the laughs of his three favorite people made his heart feel warm and tingly. He was so lost in his thoughts that he jumped a mile high when he felt someone tug at his swing. He fell with a thump on to his bottom. Growling Ed looked up at the intruder read a glare ready to burn whoever it was into a crisp. Hughes was smiling down at him with an apologetic smile on his face.

"Sorry Ed. I called your name a couple of times, but you didn't respond." Hughes explained as he held a hand out to help Ed up.

Ed mumbled an 'it's ok' as he took the hand Hughes offered. Silently Hughes took a seat on a swing and Ed took one next to him. They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, watching the other three play. It had been like this for a while now between Hughes and himself. They had been able to get along a little easier lately. Every now and then they would get into an argument, but for the most part they managed to stay on friendly terms.

"They seem so carefree." Hughes observed, as Al tossed Elysia into the air and caught her.

"Yea, they do." Ed replied quietly. He knew what was coming next, Hughes was going to bring up something Ed didn't want to talk about. Ed mentally prepared himself for the question.

"Why don't you like Thanksgiving? You've put up a smile all day, but it's obvious that there is no meaning behind it." Hughes asked, turning around to stare at Ed.

Ed wasn't about to make eye contact with the man. That would be a big mistake, he couldn't look into Hughes' eyes and lie. It was much too difficult, which was saying something, the only other person he couldn't lie to was Al.

"I have no idea what your talking about. I've been happy all day. Maybe your observation skills are on the fritz." Ed replied, attempting a humorous attempt to get out telling the truth. Anything was possible, maybe.

Hughes was silent for a while and Ed thought he was going to get out of having to tell the truth. His luck bit him in the ass though and then laughed in his face. Ed's swing was tugged to the right and Ed made the mistake of looking up. Hughes had taken both of the swings chains and made Ed face him directly.

"Why don't you like Thanksgiving." Hughes asked again, eyes boring into Ed's.

"Let go." Ed ordered with as much anger as he could muster up. If lying didn't work, anger was always the next best thing in Ed's book. Of course, he wasn't dealing with any normal person. Ed's anger and glares never fazed Maes Hughes.

"No." Hughes replied with just as much force and anger as Ed's command had.

The next five minutes turned into a fierce glaring contest. It was a fruitless attempt on Ed's end though. He never won against the man, Ed swore Hughes was really the devil in disguise. Ed let out a long agitated sigh before he finally gave in. Hughes let a smirk slip onto his face, agitating Ed even more.

"So?" He asked when Ed was silent for a bit longer.

"Holidays are dumb. They're meant for families and for people who deserve to be happy. I don't deserve to be happy and I hate them. If it weren't for Al I wouldn't even bother with them. But Al, he loves it, the decorations, the food, the damn jolly feeling. The last time I remember liking a holiday was Christmas with Mom. She's gone though and what right do I have to have a great time when she's dead and Al can't even enjoy the food! He tells me he likes to look at the food and watch others enjoy it! I know better though, I know how much he wishes he could taste it! So yea, I hate holidays." Ed finished in a whisper, looking away from Hughes. He hadn't realized he had been shouting until he saw Al, Elysia, and Winry glance over.

Hughes gave a small nod and let go of Ed's swing. Ed stole a glance at the man to see that his face was blank. Ed knew he was thinking though. It wasn't hard to read the man if you knew him well enough, which Ed did to a degree.

"A mother only ever wants what's best for her kids. Her love doesn't vanish when she does and it surely doesn't vanish when you mess up. Our mistakes are what define us, they make us who we are. Your mother would have loved you no less than she ever did before she died. If anything, her love for you would grow with how well you have grown up. In her eyes, your mistakes are small even though they seem large to you. What you did was wrong in every way possible. It was a choice you made and it was your choice to decide fix those mistakes. You can beat yourself up every day and wallow in your self-pity and guilt, or you can man up and face your mistakes and fears head on and quit your running away. You use the excuse that you can't be happy because it wouldn't be fair for Al, but it's that exactly. An excuse you use to hide behind so you don't have to face your fears. You are scared to be happy, scared to let yourself be happy because you're afraid it will be taken away again. Happiness will always be stolen, but that just makes it more important to have as much of it as possible. At least for today, try to let yourself to be happy, Ed. For today, I'll make sure it's not taken away from you. Deal?" Hughes finished, taking Ed's face into his hands.

Ed refused to meet Hughes' eyes. How did the man know him better than he knew himself? It wasn't fair in the least and it scared him.

"Edward, look at me." Hughes' voice held a tone that held no room for argument.

Ed let his gold eyes meet Hughes' and they were locked. Through that one look Ed felt the cold melt off him. No one ever looked at him like that, not even Al. That was a look that a man was supposed to give to his son, a son he was proud of. Ed didn't deserve that look, but he was greedy and wanted it just as much as he wanted Al's body back. Slowly, Ed nodded his head agreeing to something he wasn't entirely sure he could do. He would try though, try just for today. It wouldn't hurt and Hughes promised he wouldn't let anything happen. It scared his that he actually trusted this man with this, but it was worth a shot. Just once.

"Good, now let's get going I'm freezing and there's food to eat and memories to make!" Hughes said excitedly, ruffling Ed's head and pulling him along to get the others.

The rest of the night went by smoothly. Ed, for once in many years allowed a smile to grace his lips that felt real and didn't vanish even when he had dozed off later that night. If Edward Elric had to pick one word to describe how he felt, it had to be contempt. He couldn't go as far as saying he was happy that would take a lot of practice, but if Hughes kept his promises maybe he would get a little better day by day.

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**Hope you enjoyed, and sorry for any mistakes, I didn't check it too thoroughly**. **Thanks for all of your reviews by the way =) **

**Happy Belated Thanksgiving!  
**


	8. Chapter 7

**Dun...dun...dun... Here it is! It's taken a while, but I really like how this chapter turned out. I'm out of my writers stump, and the next chapter is already started. This chapter is important and if you pay close attention, you may figure out where this story is headed. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Thanks to my two awesome beta's 'Imac15' and 'Misty-Nala' hehe.**

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* * *

**Edward remained frozen in his spot in the hallway. He was not sure if he was imagining the eyes staring at him, or if they were really there. Once the eyes narrowed, though, Ed knew he couldn't be imagining things. He took a cautious step backwards, never once breaking eye contact. Edward nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his left shoulder. He yelled and spun around only to come face-to-face with a startled Gracia Hughes.

"Mrs. Hughes! Sorry, you scared me," Ed blurted out quickly.

Gracia's face transformed from one of surprise and slight worry to on with a soft smile. "I'm sorry, Edward. You were just standing there staring at the door. Are you okay?"

"The door!" Ed said quietly and turned around to see only blackness. He was beginning to question his sanity. Did he really imagine those eyes? Ed felt a shudder go through his body. He turned back to Gracia who was looking worried now. "I'm fine. Guess I just sort of zoned out. Sorry," Ed said with a forced smile. He began walking towards his room nervously. He looked behind him and saw that Gracia had left. Ed slowly opened the door, stepped in and turned on the light. He glanced around the room, looking for the intruder. No one was there, but the room felt odd. Ed couldn't explain the feeling yet, Ed, being Ed, shook off the odd sensation and settled down at his desk, picking up a book to continue his research.

* * *

Gracia was doing the nightly routine of locking all the windows and doors and turning any lights off. She readied the coffee-maker to start in the morning and then headed upstairs to make sure Elysia was sleeping. Seeing that her little girl was sound asleep, she made her way back to Maes. Usually, he was the one who would lock everything up. Gracia had a slight fear of looking through a window at night. Hughes had teased her for a while about it when they were newlyweds, but he stopped after she had ended up crying from it. Gracia smiled at the thought as she entered the room.

Maes looked up when Gracia came into the room. He smiled softly seeing his wife's own grin.

"What are you smiling for?" he asked as she carefully settled herself next to him. He wrapped one arm around her waist carefully.

"I was just remembering the time when you teased me and I cried. You spent a week 'making it up.'" She nuzzled his neck and gave a soft sigh.

Maes laughed quietly as he held his wonderful wife close to him. He swore to never take advantage of anything, especially his family, again. They fell asleep holding each other, thankful that everything had turned out okay.

* * *

Edward was ecstatic; everything was working out for the best. He would be seeing Al in just two days and, today, Havoc was going to hang out with him. Hughes and Ed had both patched things up although Ed was still upset about the incident, and the guilt still ate away at him when he was alone. His remorse would ease when Hughes would allow Ed to run errands for him so the man did not have to do much labor. Hughes was recovering, but still wasn't ready to go back to work. Instead, Havoc would pick Ed up and drop him off. Ed always brought Hughes' work home for him.

Ed was sitting outside on the porch waiting for Havoc's vehicle so that they could go out for lunch. Havoc had said they would be going somewhere else as well, but had refused to tell Ed. The young alchemist was a little nervous as to where he would be taken. Havoc had a weird grin on his face when he told Ed that they would be going to this "surprise" location. Ed waited around for ten minutes until Havoc pulled up. Ed jumped up and yelled into the house that he was leaving. He didn't bother listening for a response and quickly slid into the passenger seat.

"'Sup, prick," Havoc greeted cheerily. He was excited to see Ed's reaction as to where they were going.

"Hey, moron," Ed answered cheekily. By now, this had become a normal routine. In fact, if one greeted the other normally, they knew right away that something was wrong. No one else understood, and neither Havoc nor Ed really cared.

Havoc put the car in gear and started to drive. "We're going to get some food to take with us and then we'll eat when we get to Super-Secret-Place."

"Will you tell me now where we are going?" Ed all but begged, fussing with the annoying seat belt. He hated that Havoc refused to drive unless the seatbelt was on. One morning, Ed decided to challenge him to see if he would give in. Instead, they ended up in the drive way for half and hour until Ed finally gave in, only because Hawkeye had called and demanded for them to be at work within fifteen minutes. Havoc insisted that he had won, and claimed he would have waited all day if Hawkeye had not called.

"Havoc?" Ed asked, fiddling with his thumbs. Havoc grunted as a response, so Ed continued, "Have you ever heard of the Keres Sisters?"

Havoc was silent for a few moments before answering, "Hmm, not sure, but I thought they were some death-spirits in some myth, right?"

"Sort of," was Ed's short response.

"Well?" Havoc asked, looking over at Ed. Realizing that Ed wasn't going to continue, he changed the subject.

"How's Al doing?"

A grin plastered itself onto Ed's face. "He's great! Really happy actually. Winry has taught him a lot about automail and such, and he's been helping out. Win claims he's really good, and he wants to try tuning my automail. I'm going to go visit him in two days!" Ed was practically bouncing in joy as he spoke of his younger brother. He couldn't wait to see him again. It had felt like part of him had been missing since Al had gone to Risembool.

Havoc smiled at Ed's happy rant. "Okay, breathe, dork! I thought Al was coming back to Central."

Ed's grin faltered slightly at the question. "Well, I…don't think I'm going to tell him to come back yet."

"What? You said two weeks? You must want him back!" Havoc wasn't sure why Ed had changed his mind. Was Archer still being such a bastard?

Edward looked out the window before replying, "I do. I really miss having him around and stuff." Ed was quiet a while longer before speaking again. "He's really happy right now. He said it almost feels like when we were kids. So, I sorta lied and said Mustang thought it would be safer to stay in Risembool a while longer. That's why I agreed to visit him once a week, if possible," Ed finished, still looking out the window.

"Always the self-sacrificing idiot. Gee Ed, you're so sappy. But, if that's what you want, I won't convince you otherwise. I'm sure Maes has already done plenty of that."

All conversation ended as they pulled up to the take-out restaurant. They each bought a chicken sandwich - Ed's without mayonnaise - some fries, and drinks. Once they received their food they headed to the Super-Secret-Place, as Havoc insisted on calling it. Ed bugged him the whole way, trying to guess where they were going. He had thought of many places, but where they ended up was the last place that Ed would have ever thought of. His mouth opened slightly as Havoc parked the car. He looked over at Ed and gave a little chuckle.

"Well, here we are. Surprised?" Havoc asked, knowing the answer.

"Surprised? You have got to be friggin' kidding me! I'm not five, dimwit!" Ed cried out. There was no way the blond idiot expected him to go to a park.

Havoc simply laughed out loud excitedly as they left the car and took the food over to a table, ignoring Ed's continuous rant. Havoc rolled his eyes and walked up to Ed, who had still not gotten out of the car.

"Shut up already! First off, the park is fun for everyone. Second, you could pass as a five year old. Third you can sit here and rant all day, but I am hungry and I want to swing, damn it!" Havoc smiled at the effect his words had caused. Ed was silenced, only glaring now, most likely from the age comment. He pushed past a smirking Havoc and plopped down at the picnic table. Havoc, still smirking from his accomplishment, took a seat across from the moping Ed and began eating.

"It's going to get cold," Havoc pointed to Ed's food. He shrugged when Ed crossed his arms and looked away. "Suit yourself, I don't care if you miss a meal, and your pouting may work on Hughes, but it sure as hell doesn't work on me, brat." Havoc then continued eating, ignoring the once more glaring Edward.

Havoc did a small victory dance in his head as Ed finally began to eat, albeit slowly. Havoc finished eating first and went back to the car to Ed's other surprise. When he returned, Ed had finally finished eating and was now staring at a mother playing with her son. Havoc quickly distracted the teen by placing a box wrapped in wrapping paper on the table.

Ed looked up at Havoc, confused. "What is it? Is it going to blow up?" Ed distanced himself from the box.

Havoc shook his head and gave him a looked that all but asked "Are you really that stupid?" Havoc sat down across from Ed once more. "Open it, idiot. It's not going to kill you, honest."

Ed glanced at Havoc again before unwrapping the box and opening it. He stared quietly at it before picking the gift up. Ed saw that it had twenty pages, and they were all pictures - pictures of Al and himself, all when neither of them had noticed that they were having their pictures taken. One was of him asleep against Al, both of the brothers holding books. Others were of Mustang and his crew, some with Al and himself, others of the team from different times, and pictures of the Hughes family. When Ed turned to the final page he was certain that his heart stopped for a few seconds. He blinked back the tears and looked up at Havoc.

"How?" he asked quietly, once more looking back at the picture.

Havoc smiled softly. "Well, that was Mustang's doing. He's had it since you burned down your house. He figured one day you would like to see it again, when you thought life was crappy." He ruffled Ed's hair, "You like it? It was my idea, but everyone pitched in."

Ed nodded feeling the picture through the thin plastic. It was burned all around the edges, and smudged, but the faces were hardly affected. His mother stared up at him with loving eyes, Al in her arms and Ed holding on to her neck. Ed had been certain that everything had burned when they had made the decision to leave home and never look back. He would never tell Al, or anyone for that matter, that he wished that he had some sort of memory of their past life. He closed the photo album before he would start crying and looked up at Havoc, grinning.

"Not bad for someone who smokes all his brain cells away," Ed thanked Havoc.

"You're ever so welcome, Your Highness. Make sure you thank everyone else - a little more kindly, though. Now, enough sappy crap! Let's go swing."

Havoc jumped up from the picnic table and ran off to the swings, ignoring all the rude stares parents were giving him. Ed laughed and followed at a normal pace. Havoc was already swinging when Ed sat down on one next to his. He sat watching Havoc go up and down over and over until it made him dizzy. Havoc stopped when he saw Ed watching him.

"Come on, Ed, you're never too old to swing!" Havoc said cheerfully. Ed stared for a while before finally giving in.

"Tell anyone, and I will kill you in your sleep," Ed threatened before he began to move his legs slowly.

"You call that swinging? That's pathetic; the wind may as well be blowing you for how fast you're going." Havoc stated, getting off his swing before Ed had time to protest and gave Ed's swing a hard push. Ed yelled at the sudden speed and accidentally let go, falling on his bottom. Havoc began laughing as Ed stood up holding his bottom, glaring daggers at the blond man.

"You jerk! I could have died and you're laughing. I hate you!" Ed crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in the air.

Havoc gave him a small push. "Quit being such a drama queen you dumdum and get back on the swing." He got back onto his own and smirked when Ed sat back on his own and began swinging. They soon made it into a contest to see who could swing the highest.

The sun was setting by the time the two had finished fooling around. Havoc refused to leave until they had played on every single piece of equipment. Ed would never admit it, but he liked the slides. They both got into the car, and Havoc headed to Hughes'. The ride was silent, but comfortable; both smiling like idiots.

* * *

"Hello. You two have fun?" Gracia asked when both blonds entered the house.

"It was okay - as good as it can be with Havoc," Ed explained cheekily, dodging Havoc's punch as he ran upstairs, nearly running into Hughes and dropping the album.

Hughes caught him by the shoulders, "Whoa. Careful there, Ed."

"Sorry! I didn't see you," Ed quickly replied, feeling guilty for running into the injured man. He bent down to pick up the photo album.

Hughes smiled. "That's alright. Did you have fun?"

Ed nodded quickly, "Yeah, it was fine. Thanks for the album!" Ed then gave Hughes a quick half hug before side stepping Hughes and darting up the stairs, grinning.

"Take a bath!" Hughes called after him, before heading downstairs to Havoc and his wife.

"Aced another day out, huh?" Hughes asked as he wrapped his arms around Gracia.

"Yep, he was a brat at first. Lightened up though, and loved the album. Loved the park too," Havoc gave a quick run down on the day.

"No surprise, Ed is such a child and a real softy. Thanks for watching him today." Hughes was practically beaming at the good news. Ed had been a bit uptight the past few days, whining that the day to see Al was still too far away.

"No problemo. He's a good kid," Havoc said as he turned to leave.

"Want to stay for dinner?" Gracia asked kindly.

"No thanks, I'm beat. I guess I'm older than I thought," Havoc grinned, waving a hand as he walked to his car, lighting a cigarette on the way. Ed wouldn't allow him to smoke when he was around. Ed had made it a game to see how long it would take for Havoc's temper to flare when he had not had a cigarette. Currently, Ed had found out the game was not very fun when a cigarette-deprived-Havoc was angry or annoyed. Havoc smirked as he started his car.

Ed quickly ran back down stairs, hearing Havoc leaving. Bewildered, both Hughes and Gracia moved aside, watching Ed stand on the porch waving at Havoc's retreating car. Hearing the blast of a horn, Ed turned around and bounded up the stairs, ignoring Hughes protests at running in the house. Entering the bathroom, Ed placed the photo album on the counter and looked into the mirror. The huge grin that covered his face seemed foreign to him. If possible, his grin grew as he ran through the days event in his mind once more. The rest of the night left him feeling happy and light, his mood carrying into the morning.

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**I listened to Owl Cities 'West Coast Friendship' during this chapter =) Hope ya enjoyed. Until next time ~**


	9. SideStory:Father'sDay

Hello! Yes, I am alive and decently well. I am sorry for taking to long to update! Dunno if you all heard but good ol' Tennessee was bombarded with loads of rain and a lot of TN flooded terribly. My house was actually washed away =O. Luckily I survived and have found a place to live for the time being instead of hotels! Right after that though my computer broke and I had to send it in to be repaired which took two weeks. Anyway, enough excuses. The next chapter of the story is almost done, my beta's are proofing the first half. I decided to give all of you patient and loving fans a treat and wrote this super corny/emo/sappy side story. Sorry for any mistakes, I don't have my beta's proof side stories. Enjoy the mushy crap! =D 3 3 xoxo

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Father's Day. In Ed's opinion it wasn't as bad as Mother's day, but it had its own thorns attached to it. The day wouldn't have bothered him nearly as much if it hadn't been for Elysia. Yes, the girl seemed very fond of Father's day, seeing as how she still had one who loved her. It made Ed feel sick listening to her all day ranting about how superb her father was. Ed tried everything to get his mind off the darker thoughts. He called Al and they spoke about their upcoming meeting. The call only lasted so long though since Gracia needed to use the phone to make sure Maes's cake was ready. So, Ed tried reading. That too failed when Ed realized he was reading the first line over and over. He tossed the book across the room and stomped outside and climbed the tallest tree in the backyard.

The moment Maes Hughes walked through the front door he was bombarded by Elysia who was screaming happy Father's Day. He smiled and picked her up to giver her a tight hug.

"Thanks, sweetie. I'm happy to be your father." He said teary-eyed looking up at his smiling wife. He couldn't ask for anything other than his beautiful family.

"Daddy, daddy! I have a present for you!" Elysia yelled pulling Maes forward. He fallowed her into the kitchen where the girls' had tied blue and green balloons on each of the chairs. All his favorite foods were on the table along with a large cake with his name on it. Sitting in his chair were two wrapped boxes with little blue ribbons tied on them. He felt his face would split in two if he smiled anymore than he already was. Maes laughed and grabbed both his wife and daughter into a crushing hug.

"Thank you. I've never been a happier man." He let go of them both and gave them both kisses on their cheeks. Elysia giggled before running and picking up the present she made for him.

"Open it daddy!" She said excitedly, jumping up and down.

Maes laughed as he took it and sat down at the table to open it. He was opening the gift as slowly as possible, enjoying watching Elysia anxiously hopping up and down on her tipy toes.

"Daddy! Faster!" She finally yelled, rushing to him to help him open it faster.

Maes smiled brightly when he finally saw his gift. It was a picture of himself with Elysia and Gracia, but what made it special was the frame it was in was handmade. It was oval and made of wood. Written all over the wood were words like "love", "family", and "happiness". It had fake yellow daisies in the corner and was all glittery.

He looked up and hugged Elysia again for the third time that evening.

"Thank you baby, I love it. It's going right next to my bed." He set the frame down and took the gift Gracia handed to him

Maes already knew what Gracia had gotten him. It had been a tradition of theirs since they first married to buy each other their favorite brands of cologne and perfume for birthdays and then Father's and Mother's Day. It was perfect timing in Maes opinion since he was nearly out of his. He kissed his wife passionately before they head Elysia giggling.

"I'm the luckiest father alive. Thank you I love both my gifts."

"Cake!" Elysia laughed and headed for the cake, but Gracia stopped her.

"I think not young lady. Dinner first, then you can have a huge piece of cake." Gracia said sternly, but with a smile.

Elysia pouted, but nodded and took her place at the table. Once they were all seated and everyone began to dig in Gracia stopped and looked at the empty chair.

"Oh, where's Ed?" She asked.

A pang of guilt hit Maes as he realized the boy was nowhere around and hadn't been since he walked into the house. He had been so wrapped up in everything that he had completely forgotten that today had to be a miserable day for Ed. He stood from his seat quickly.

"Maybe he's in his room." He said as he began walking away. Once he reached Ed's room he knocked twice, "Ed it's me, can I come in?" When Maes didn't receive and answer he opened the door to an empty room. Trying not to worry he headed back downstairs.

"He wasn't up there?" Gracia asked concerned. Now that she thought about it she hadn't seen him since she had asked him to get off the phone. "You don't think he went out? It's dark now it's not safe!" She looked at her husband.

"I don't know he..." Maes stopped and walked up to the patio's screen door. He was certain there was a leg hanging out from the tree. He looked over at his wife and nodded outside and without another word stepped outside and closed the screen behind him.

Ed swayed his leg back and forth. It helped keep some circulation in his butt. He had been sitting in the tree for at least four hours and branches weren't exactly comfortable. He had thought of going inside to his room, but that idea was thrown out the second he heard Elysia scream. He knew that meant Maes was home and he didn't feel like seeing the man. Or anyone really. Sure it was immature to be pissed at a man who did nothing wrong or at a little girl for loving her father. Ed just didn't give a damn today though. All he wanted for today was to be left alone or disappear. He was never lucky though and cursed under his breath when he heard the screen door creaked open and then close. Quiet footsteps made their way to the tree and stopped underneath the stop Ed was sitting on. He ignored the man and continued staring at the sky.

"Dinner is ready." Maes finally broke the silence and Ed cringed. He really didn't want to talk to Maes.

"Not hungry." He said quickly. Begging that the man just go back inside to his family. He heard Maes sigh and knew that some sort of annoying lecture was about to be given.

"Just go Maes. I don't want to eat. I don't want to be near you or your family. So just go." Ed tried to put some fire behind his words, but they just sounded tired.

It was quiet for several minutes and Ed thought maybe he didn't hear Maes leave. Just as he was about to check his leg was given a harsh tug and he tumbled out of the tree and onto the ground, ass first.

"The hell!" Ed yelled, but didn't have a chance to do anything because Maes knelt down in front of him and grabbed him into a hug. Ed was too stunned to do anything and slowly he felt himself give in to the hug. Why couldn't this have been his father? He pushed Maes away and stood. He was surprised at the thing he did next, even more surprised than Maes. Ed punched him as hard as he could with his left hand. A minute passed before Ed went into full panic mode.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So sorry." Ed quickly ran inside and left a still stunned Maes sitting on the ground.

Ed ran past Gracia, up the stairs, and locked himself in his room. He just hit the one person who seemed to care. He laid down on his bed and buried his face into his pillow. After a few hours, he finally relaxed enough to fall into a trouble sleep filled with nightmares.

The next morning Ed reluctantly headed downstairs after hearing laughing. People who were mad didn't laugh, right? He peeked into the kitchen to see all three Hughes at the table eating breakfast and laughing. Ed lost his courage and was about to head back upstairs when Gracia spotted him.

"Ed, good morning, come have some breakfast." Ed noticed her tone didn't leave room for arguing. She was upset. Ed couldn't blame her. He did hit her husband.

Ed sat down in the chair next to Elysia who kept giving him glances from the side. The atmosphere was tense and it made Ed want to crawl under a rock and die. He made himself look up at Maes when a hand held out a plate. Ed winced at the huge bruise just under Maes's eye. Ed tried to take the plate, but Maes's wouldn't let go. The man locked his eyes with Ed's and Ed couldn't have looked away even if he wanted to. What surprised him was Maes had his goofy grin in place.

"Why the hell are you smiling at me? I hit you! You should be mad!" Ed said bewildered. This only made Maes laugh. Ed was royally confused and felt like an ass. He hit Maes and the guy was brushing it off like it was nothing.

"It make you feel better?" Maes asked after he was finished laughing.

Ed stared at him for a bit before a sheepish smile spread across his own face. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yea, it did actually. Sorry." He apologized once again.

"It's okay. Maybe next year I'll even get a gift from you too? Preferably not another punch." Maes let the question hang thick in the air and turned his attention to his wife.

Ed could only stare at the man. He was having trouble processing the question. Ed wasn't sure if Maes meant what he thought it did. He filled his plate with food forcing away the smile that wanted to attach itself to his face. Ed never wanted Maes to know how he was feeling right now. His heart felt a little lighter and a little happier. When Ed stole a quick glance at the man across the table, Maes winked at him and continued to eat.

Ed would never understand how Maes could think of him as a son. Really, Ed didn't care to understand. He didn't want parents, but he did want people who he could trust and maybe love him. Maes seemed to love him and was trustworthy. That was more than Ed could ever ask for. He kept that in mind throughout the rest of breakfast and hopefully throughout the rest of his life.

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Peace.


End file.
